- Music written by
- Houston Collisson
- Lyrics written by
- Percy French
- Language
- English
- Comments
-
"Mountains o' Mourne" (or "Mountains of Mourne") was written by Percy French and set to music by his frequent collaborator, Houston Collisson. The dating of the poem and the song is uncertain but both must be be pre-1920 as French and Collisson died that year. The best guess is the late 1890's. The earliest recording was made in 1931 by Peter Dawson.
The song is a whimsical look at the styles, attitudes and fashions of late nineteenth-century London as seen from the point of view of an emigrant labourer from a village near the Mourne Mountains. It is written as a message to the narrator's true love at home, Mary Macree.
Verse 1 -
Oh, Mary, this London's a wonderful sight
With people here working by day and by night
They don't sow potatoes nor barley nor wheat
But there's gangs of them diggin' for gold in the street
At least when I asked them, that's what I was told
So I just took a hand at this diggin' for gold
But for all that I've found there, I might as well be
In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea - Licensing
- Request a synchronization license
Song
Versions
Mountains o' Mourne written by Houston Collisson, Percy French English
Mountains o' Mourne written by Houston Collisson instrumental
| Title | Performer | Release date | Info | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Mountains of Mourne | Harry Rabinowitz (Harry Rabinowitz) | 1977 | Unverified | |
| i | Amazing Grace a) The Ash Grove b) Drink to Me Only c) Mountains of Mourne | The Geoff Love Banjos | October 1985 | Medley | |
| i | The Mountains of Mourne | Phil Coulter | 1988 | ||
| i | The Mountains of Mourne | Tony Gould | 2005 |