“No Irish Need Apply”

Description

"I'm a decent boy just landed From the town of Ballyfad; I want a situation, yes, And want it very bad." He applies for various jobs, but is told time and again, "No Irish need apply." (At last he attacks one of the bosses and gains a job)

Notes

This is a bit of a conundrum, because this song seems to occur in two fairly distinct forms, which we might call "No Irish Need Apply" and "No Irish Wanted Here." In many of the former versions, the Irishman attacks the prejudiced employer. In some of the latter, there is none of that; the worker appeals to the work the Irish did in the Civil War to save the Union.

I was seriously tempted to split the two. But they have common lyrics; while I suspect a deliberate rewrite somewhere along the line, it is not really possible to tell where to draw the line. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "An Irish Laborer" (subject)
• cf. "The Honest Irish Lad" (subject)
• cf. "What Irish Boys Can Do" (subject)

Recordings

• Pete Seeger, "No Irish Need Apply" (on PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07a, AmHist1)

References

1. Dean, p. 65, "No Irish Wanted Here" (1 text)
2. Greenway-AFP, pp. 41-42, "No Irish Need Apply" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. Darling-NAS, pp. 364-366, "No Irish Need Apply" (1 text)
4. Silber-FSWB, p. 292, "No Irish Need Apply" (1 text)
5. DT, NOIRISH*
6. Roud #1137
7. BI, DTnoris