> Folk Music > Songs > The Fairy King's Courtship / John MacAnanty's Courtship
The Fairy King's Courtship / John MacAnanty's Courtship
[
Roud 6875
; Henry H56
; Ballad Index HHH056
; trad.]
Mark Dunlop sang The Fairy King's Courtship in 2015 on Malinky's CD Far Better Days. Their liner notes commented:
Also known as John MacAnanty's Courtship, this Ulster song was collected for Sam Henry's Songs of the People from E.J. Bennett of Coleraine who had the song from his mother who came from Co Limerick. The song features MacAnanty, the Fairy King who lived under a cairn on Scrabo Hill near Newtownards. The song first appears in P.W. Joyce's Ancient Irish Music of 1873, who suggests that ‘Queen Anne’ might be the Fairy Queen Áine. Joyce heard the song from his father and in publishing the song “amended several corrupt stanzas” and notes that it possibly originated in Munster rather than Ulster, which would fit with Henry's collecting of the song.
The tune that we have used is that of Welcome Napoleon to Erin the Green, recorded by Frank Harte in 2000 and learned from Paddy Tunney.
Lyrics
John McAnanty's Courtship in Songs of the People | Malinky sing The Fairy King's Courtship |
---|---|
On the first day of May at the close of the day, |
On the first day of May at the close of the day, |
The dress that he wore was a velvet so green, |
The dress that he wore was a velvet so green, |
“Lisses and forts shall be at your command, |
“Lisses and forts shall be at your command, |
“To make me a queen, my birth is too mean, |
“To make me a queen, my birth is too mean, |
“I will tell you my name, and I love you the same |
“I will tell you my name, and I love you the same |
“If I were to go with a man I don't know, |
“If I were to go with a man I don't know, |
“From your friends we will sail in a ship that won't fail, |
“From your friends we will sail in a ship that won't fail, |
“For there is not a fort from this to the north | |
“Many a mile I have roamed in my time, |
“For it's many'sthe mile I have roamed in my time, |