FolkWorld #59: Songs That Made History

The Streams of Bunclody

Oh[D] were I at the moss house
Where the[A] birds do in[D]crease
By the[A] foot of Mount[D] Leinster
Or[Em] some silent[A] place
By the streams of Bun[D]cloudy
Where all[Em] pleasures do[A] meet
And[D] all that I ask is
One[A] kiss from you[D] sweet

Oh the streams of Buncloudy
They flow down to the sea
By the streams of Buncloudy
I am longing to be
A-drinking stong liquor
At the height of my cheer
Here's a health to Buncloudy
And the lass I love dear

Oh the cuckoo is a pretty bird
And she sings as she flies
She brings us glad tidings
And she tells us no lies
She sucks all of the small birds' eggs
Just to make her voice clear
And the more she sings cuckoo
The summer draws near

If I were a clerk
And I could write a good hand
I would write to my true love
So that she'd understand
That I am a young fellow
Who is wounded in love
Once I lived in Buncloudy
But now must remove

So farewell to my father
And my mother adieu
To my sister and my brother
Farewell unto you
I am bound out for America
My fortune to try
When I think on Buncloudy
I am ready to die

 Watch The Streams of Bunclody from:   
     Emmet Spiceland, Luke Kelly

Liam Merriman & Eoin O Meachair: The Birds Never Cease

»I've long been an admirer of the work of Liam Merriman. I reviewed some of his solo albums for Hot Press and was always struck by the warmth of his voice, the depth and perception of his lyrics and the subtleties in his music. When I first heard him playing with Eoin O'Meachair, I thought I detected a spark, as if there been a bond between them even before they met. Eoin and Liam's album seems to get the mix spot on. It contains several of Liam's fine original songs, interpretations of other contemporary songs from both sides of the Atlantic, from Donovan, a Scotsman now living in Ireland, the American legend Tom Paxton and renowned English folkies Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick. They've breathed new life into old Irish tunes and along the way they drop in elements of rock and country and bluegrass.« (Jackie Hayden)