I learned this from the Boys of the Lough songbook (Music and Songs from the Boys of the Lough, Gilderoy Music, 1977). When I got the book I had heard several LPs by the band, and really admired Cathal McConnell’s singing. I had not, however, heard the album Recorded Live on which this song appears. I heard that LP just once, some years after having learned the song. My recollection is that I felt that, in having learned the song from the printed page, I had ended up singing it quite differently from the way it was performed by Cathal McConnell. But I’ve just listened online to Cathal singing the song – again on a live album, Live at Carnegie Hall – and actually it’s not that different. Except that, much as I enjoy singing the song, I will never sing it as sweetly as he does. Do yourself a favour and give him a listen.
The Flower of Magherally
A Folk Song a Week 
Leave a comment