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The Armoured Car

  • (Séan O'Callaghan)

    Come all my good friends and around me attend
    You can listen to my song
    You must appreciate a hound so great
    To the sport that you belong
    No land or title did he ever own
    And he cared nought for whom you are
    He was bred and trained by the boys of Fairhill
    And they called him the Armoured Car

    Facts to you I'll disclose, he had a checkproof nose
    And he never yet lost a hunt
    He had cast-iron jaws and steel-padded paws
    Every nail was like an iron bar
    From one mile to ten, he would never give in
    If you ran him from here to Castlebar
    Small wonder, gentlemen, that the boys of Fairhill
    Used to call him the Armoured Car

    In the year of twenty one when he started to run
    Having surveyed the country all round
    He sent a sworn declaration to the Harriers Association
    That he cared not for man, hare or hound
    And he swore right then that if he didn't win
    To Fairhill he'd never repair
    And I'm sure the British fleet they would have to retreat
    From Doylie's old Armoured Car

    'Twas on the green fields of Gurranabraher he first declared war
    On his terrible Southern foes
    And he swore once again that if he didn't win
    To Fairhill he never would go
    Coming down Scrivens's farm he raised the alarm
    Saying, I wonder where the other hounds are
    And loud and high you could hear the cry
    Of Doylie's Armoured Car

    At the Battle of Waterloo well they all well knew
    How he laid the enemy low
    When they thought he was done from the heat of the sun
    And the armour on fire would go
    To the finish from the start he broke the Blarney dogs' heart
    From the flags sure he took them afar
    When a shout from Séan - carr' ahead, Ceolán!
    Take the place of the Armoured Car

    He stormed Timoleague nearly causing a plague
    For he fought till the sands grew dark
    And the country people round, they had got terror bound
    When for light, faith, there wasn't a spark
    The judges growing tired were soon inspired
    When out shone the evening star
    Who should be coming to the front and he leading the hunt
    But Doylie's old Armoured Car

    When the Free State bill was framed and peace proclaimed
    And the country slumbered in repose
    North, South, East and West, he couldn't be suppressed
    For he cared not for man or foe
    When the Black and Tans and the Saxon gangs
    For England sailed afar
    With all their guns and rap, sure never could they capture
    Doylie's Armoured Car

    Now here is my glass and around may it pass
    As we drink in bonds of love
    Here's to every hand that mine can expand
    And to those up in heaven above
    Here's to every hound who knows his ground
    No matter where they are
    'Twould be Connie Doyle's delight if every dog here tonight
    Had a heart like the Armoured Car

(as sung by Jimmy Crowley)

Susannes Folksong-Notizen

  • english  [1977:] So great was this dog that on his death he was stuffed and is still displayed in the Fairhill Harriers premises. In Cork we have everything, even our own Waterloo - a little village near Blarney. (Notes Jimmy Crowley, 'The Boys of Fair Hill')

  • english  [1998:] Draghunting is a very popular [winter] sport around Cork city. A scent is laid over a cross-country course of about ten miles and the harriers or beagles are released in a pack. The first dog home is the winner. One of the most famous was Ringwood, owned by Conny Doyle of the Fairhill Harriers. The great ballad maker, Séan O'Callaghan bestowed upon Ringwood his immortal nom de guerre [The Armoured Car]. I first learned the song from Chris Twomey, concertina player with my earlier band, Stokers Lodge and some additional verses from Séan's brother, Hadda O'Callaghan. (Jimmy Crowley, notes 'Uncorked!')

  • english  [2005:] The Waterloo Cup is the most prestigious event in the hare coursing calendar but, along with the sport, was banned in February of this year as part of the government's crackdown on animal hunting. Founded in 1836, the Cup has a prestigious history, and at one time attracted crowds in their tens of thousands. (Observer Magazine, 25 Sep)

Quelle: Ireland

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11.09.2002, aktualisiert am 02.04.2010, 15.04.2009