Mursheen Durkin

The Irish folk song "Muirsheen Durkin" tells the story of an emigrant from Ireland who goes to mine for gold in California during the California Gold Rush, 1849.^[1] The song is about emigration, although atypically optimistic for the genre. The name "Muirsheen" is a good phonetic approximation to the pronunciation of "Máirtín" (Martin) in Connacht Irish; it could alternatively be construed as a diminutive of "Muiris" (Maurice). A pratie is a potato, the historical staple crop of Ireland. "America" is pronounced "Americay", as was common among Gaelic peoples around Ireland.^[2]

The air to which it is sung is Cailíní deasa Mhuigheo (Pretty Girls of Mayo), which is a popular reel dating from the nineteenth century.^[3]

Performers

The song reached prominence when Johnny McEvoy's recording reached no. 1 in Ireland in 1966.^[4]

It has been covered by the following artists (and others):

• Christy Moore
• Sharon Shannon
• Four to the Bar on their live album Craic on the Road.
• The Pogues
• The Irish Rovers (both as "Muirsheen Durkin" and as "Goodbye Mrs. Durkin")
• Johnny McEvoy
• The Dubliners
• The Poxy Boggards
• Golden Bough
• The Mollys on their album Hat Trick
• Off Kilter on their album Celtic Armadillo
• Darby O'Gill
• The Wolfe Tones
• 1916 on their album Last Call for Heroes
• Na Fianna
• Fiddler's Green

Variations

"Molly Durkin" is a derivation made popular by Murty Rabbett in the 1940s in the United States.^[5] The song has a lively tempo and tells a whimsical tale of a man who decides to give up his work as a mortar shoveller in order to take up mining gold. The song is not so much a song of leaving Ireland as it is an Irishman's response to a woman's scorn.^[6]

Recordings:

• Murty Rabbett & His Gaelic Band: "Farewell To Ireland" Properbox 3(P1109-12) (1999/2005)
• Ballinasloe Fair-Early Recordings Of Irish Music In America Traditional Crossroads CD 4284, CD (1998/2005)