“The Kelligrews Soiree”
Description
"You may talk of... anything you choose, But it couldn't hold a snuff-box to the spree at Kelligrews." A thoroughly exaggerated account: "There was birch rine, tar twine, cherry wine, and turpentine," and so forth, ad nauseum.
Notes
Kelligrews is a small village southwest of St. John's, Newfoundland. - RBW
Is this a cleaned-up version of "The Ball at Kerrimuir"? -PJS
Based on form, it is not. (It's not all that cleaned up, either; while there are no explicit sexual references, there are all sorts of hints, plus references to drunkenness, sodden clergy, and the like.) Fowke and Johnston believe it to be based on "The Irish Jubilee," and the stanzaic form implies they are right. Of course, there are all sorts of songs on the theme of the Ultimate Uproarious Party. - RBW
While Doyle3 reports the song was sung in New York in 1938, GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador site shows that the author died in 1930. - BS
Same tune
- The Teapots at the Fire (File: Blon027)
Cross references
- cf. "The Irish Jubilee"
- cf. "Finnegan's Wake" [Laws Q17]
Recordings
- Omar Blondahl, "The Kelligrews Soiree" (on NFOBlondahl01)
References
- Fowke/Johnston, pp. 110-112, "The Kelligrews Soiree" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Fowke/MacMillan 35, "The Kelligrews Soiree" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Blondahl, pp. 25-26, "The Kelligrews Soiree" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Doyle2, pp. 16-17, "The Kelligrew's Soiree" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Doyle3, pp. 36-37, "The Kelligrew's Soiree" (1 text, 1 tune)
- DT, KSOIREE
- Roud #4430
- BI, FJ110