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| Molly Malone & The Bonds in Dublin |
Molly Malone, also known as Cockles and Mussels or In Dublin's Fair City is a popular song, set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin.
The song tells the fictional tale of a fishmonger who plied her trade on the streets of Dublin, but who died young, of a fever. In the late 20th century a legend grew up that there was a historical Molly, who lived in the 17th century. She is typically represented as a hawker by day and part-time prostitute by night. In contrast she has also been portrayed as one of the few chaste female street-hawkers of her day. However, there is no evidence that the song is based on a real woman, of the 17th century or at any other time. The name Molly originated as a familiar version of the names Mary and Margaret. While many such Molly Malones were born in Dublin over the centuries, no evidence connects any of them to the events in the song. Nevertheless, in 1988 the Dublin Millennium Commission endorsed claims about a Mary Malone who died on 13 June 1699, and proclaimed 13 June to be Molly Malone day.
More information: The Irish Times
The song is not recorded earlier than 1876, when it was published in Boston, Massachusetts. The song's placement in the section of the book entitled Songs from English and German Universities suggests a British origin. It was also published by Francis Brothers and Day in London in 1884 as a work written and composed by James Yorkston, of Edinburgh, with music arranged by Edmund Forman. The London edition states that it was reprinted by permission of Kohler and Son of Edinburgh, implying that the first edition was in Scotland, though no copies of it have been located.
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| Molly Malone: folk, legend and tradition |
A copy of Apollo's Medley, dating to around 1790, published in Doncaster and rediscovered in 2010, contains a song referring to Sweet Molly Malone on its page 78 - this ends with the line Och! I'll roar and I'll groan, My sweet Molly Malone, Till I'm bone of your bone, And asleep in your bed. However, other than this name and the fact that she lives in Howth near Dublin, this song bears no other resemblance to the familiar Molly Malone. The song was later reprinted in a collection entitled The Shamrock: A Collection of Irish Songs (1831) and was published in the The Edinburgh literary journal that year with the title Molly Malone.
More information: Irish Historical Mysteries
Several elements of the song Molly Malone appear in several earlier songs. In addition to the earlier Molly Malone song discussed above, a character named Molly Malone appears in at least two other songs. The song, Widow Malone, published as early as 1809, refers to the title character alternately as Molly Malone, Mary Malone and sweet mistress Malone. An American song entitled, Meet Me Miss Molly Malone, was published as early as 1840. The song, Pat Corney's Account of Himself, published as early as 1826, begins with Now it's show me that city where the girls are so pretty and ends with Crying oysters, and cockles, and Mussels for sale. During the 1800s, the expression Dublin's fair city was used regularly with reference to Dublin, and the phrase, alive, alive O, is known to have been shouted by street vendors selling oysters, mussels, fish and eels.
She died of a fever
and so one could save her
and that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
now her ghost wheels her barrow through the streets broad and narrow
singing cockles and mussels alive alive oh
and so one could save her
and that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
now her ghost wheels her barrow through the streets broad and narrow
singing cockles and mussels alive alive oh
Molly Malone
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