The incomparable Christy Moore proving that there are people who sing folk songs and there are Folk Singers. Respect to a Folk Singer.
THE CLIFFS OF DOONEEN
Irish, traditional
You may travel far, far, from your own native home,
Far away o’er the mountains, far away o’er the foam,
But of all the fine places that I’ve ever been,
Oh, there’s none can compare with the Cliffs of Dooneen.
Take a view o’er the mountains, fine sights you’ll see there;
You’ll see high, rocky mountains on the west coast of Clare,
Oh, the towns of Kilkee and Kilrush can be seen,
From the high, rocky slopes ‘round the Cliffs of Dooneen.
It’s a nice place to be on a fine summer’s day,
Watching all the wild flowers that ne’er do decay,
Oh, the hare and the pheasant are plain to be seen,
Making homes for their young round the Cliffs of Dooneen.
So fare thee well to Dooneen, fare thee well for a while,
And although we are parted by the raging sea wild,
Once again I will wander with my fine Irish lad,
Round the high rocky slopes of the Cliff of Dooneen.
See; Cliffs of Moher
http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/04/cliffs-of-moher.html
The words should read:
ReplyDelete"Take a view o’er the Shannon, fine sights you’ll see there;"
not o'er the "mountains" as The Cliffs of Dooneen is a Kerry song located just to the north of Ballybunion on the mouth of the river Shannon.
Jack,
ReplyDeleteYou are probably right about the viewpoint being from North Kerry but the lyrics I've quoted are those used by Planxty in their version. As with all traditional tunes there is always improvisations and different interpretations which is what gives the folk idiom its colour and richness. So I would take the view that one version is as good as the other.