Songs of Wexford
A regular feature on traditional songs of County Wexford. This week: Henry Dunphy’s Old Mill
Mary Furlong of Killincooley, Kilmuckridge (nee Byrne, 1901-1974) was a woman with a great interest in traditional song. She was not a singer; her husband John was the performer, but it was Mary who amassed a great collection of songs from a range of sources.
Her collection includes songbooks, newspaper cuttings and songs transcribed in her own handwriting. While undertaking the Kilmuckridge Song Project recently Mary’s granddaughter Maeve, who had carefully sorted through and filed the songs, presented the collection to her uncle, Mary’s son; well known traditional singer, collector and song-writer John Furlong.
One of the poems in this collection was ‘The Old Mill’. It was written out in Mary’s own handwriting with no note as to where she had heard it, or sourced the words, or who the author was. We have, however, attributed the poem to the poet Tom Ryan based on the subject and style though we stand to be corrected.
Tom Ryan (1873-1958) was the son of a boot-maker from Ballymacsimon. He joined the British Army as a teenager and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and later joined the army of the Irish Free State. He remained prominent in Wexford life and his love of his childhood home is evident in his poetry which includes poems of place such as ‘Poulalley’.
Henry Dunphy’s Mill, at the foot of Kilmuckridge Hill, was one of the last working corn mills in the area and was working right up to the 1950’s. The remains of the old walls can still be seen at the site and the area locally is known as ‘Mill-lands’. The location of these mills can be seen at www.aboutthisplace.ie, an extensive place based mapping project recently undertaken by Michael Fortune.
Henry Dunphy’s Old Mill. Words: Tom Ryan Air: Flower of Finae
I saw in the valley a saddening sight,
The ruins of the old mill in the moon’s pale light, And heard the low murmuring of Hatter’s dear stream, Flowing down to the sea like some old sweet dream. Deserted and lonely it stands there now,
Like a ghost in the shadows ’neath old Christnasthow, Nigh the tumbled down smithy where ’tis true to relate, Many a pike was forged in the year ninety-eight.
O’er the old mill bright moonbeams are stealing, Seeking the beauties the dark night is concealing, Fairies are dancing throughout the green valley, While the laughing old river flows on through Poulalley. I seem to see in the moon’s soft rays,
The form of the old miller coming o’er the braes, And hopefully I wait where dark shadows steal,
But alas, there’s no creak from the old mill wheel.
Tonight as the old stream flows slowly along, A dirge of lament mingles through its song,
And songsters are silent in the moon’s bright rays, For no more will the old miller come over the braes. How likened are we to that silent old mill, Grinding and growing each day until,
We are called to account to God on high above, And like the old miller leave all that we love.
Many are slighted because they are so poor,
But the mills of God grind slowly but sure,
What’s the wealth of this world when it can’t purchase all, You must leave all behind when you receive the last call. In old Killincooley the miller sleeps his last sleep,
And o’er his grave the tall willows weep,
When passing the old churchyard remember one thing, Pray for all there to our most merciful King.
The air to this song was provided by Rachel Úí Fhaoláin who was one of the singers involved in the project ‘Songs of Kilmuckridge’. Rachel suggested the air of the song ‘The Flower of Finae’ which she knew from the singing of Dublin singer Niamh Parsons. To hear Rachel sing it go to the ‘Songs of Wexford’ Facebook page.
Rachel runs the North Wexford Traditional Singing Circle which meets on the last Tuesday of the month in French’s pub, Gorey, from 9pm. Colm Brennan is the guest at the next gathering on March 27th and all are welcome.
Aileen Lambert is a traditional singer from Ballindaggin. She works with various communities on a range of song collecting, composing and performing projects and delivers workshops in Primary Schools as part of the Heritage-in-Schools Scheme. If you have further information on a subject or song featuring in this column, or a song or verse/recitation you’d like to share with Aileen, please contact her on aileenlambert@gmail.com or 087 7552593.