Waxies' Dargle
Encyclopedia
"The Waxies' Dargle" is a traditional Irish
folk song
about two Dublin "aul' wans" (ladies) discussing how to find money to go on an excursion. It is named after an annual outing to Ringsend
, near Dublin city, by Dublin cobblers (waxies). It originated as a 19th-century children's song and is now a popular pub song
in Ireland
.
In the 19th century, during the Summer, the gentry of Dublin would travel out to Bray
and Enniskerry
with their entourages and have picnics on the banks of the River Dargle. The Dargle was a popular holiday resort, and the name in Dublin slang became synonymous with "holiday resort".
The shoe-makers and repairers in Dublin were known as waxies, because they used wax to waterproof and preserve the thread they used in stitching the shoes. Easter
and Whitsun
were their principal holidays, Monday being the excursion for men and Tuesday for women.
The original Waxies' Dargle was said to be part of Donnybrook Fair
, but due to riotous behaviour this fair closed in 1855. In any case, the waxies' excursions did not go all the way to Bray, but only went as far as Irishtown
which is located between Ringsend
and Sandymount
. In imitation of the gentry, they called their outing the Waxies' Dargle. They drove out from the city to Ringsend on flat drays
, ten or a dozen to each vehicle. It cost two pence per car-load and the usual cry of the driver was "Tuppence, an' up with yeh!". Those who wanted a more comfortable ride could take a jaunting car
from D'Olier Street for threepence.
Their destination was a favourite resort for Dubliners, a grass-covered triangle near the sea-front at Irishtown. On Summer evenings fiddlers, flautists and melodeon-players played dance music (sets, half-sets and reels) until midnight. There was a roaring trade in porter, cockles and mussels and "treacle Billy". On Bank holidays there were boxing contests.
There is a engraved stone, marking the location of the Waxies' Dargle "picnic" site near Gleesons Pub in Irishtown.
Robert Gogan describes how the "Waxies' Dargle" focuses on working-class Dublin. The places referenced are in areas frequented by the poor. Monto was an area around Montgomery Street, a notorious red-light district near the centre of Dublin. Capel Street is on the north side of the city and was renowned for its pawnbroking shops, a few of which remain to this day.
The Waxies' Dargle is also mentioned in another Dublin folk-song, Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)
, written by George Desmond Hodnett
.
and The Rare Old Mountain Dew
. The earliest known version of the melody was printed about 1810 in Hime's Pocket Book for the German Flute or Violin (Dublin), vol. 3, p. 67, under the title The Girl I left Behind Me (in the National Library of Ireland, Dublin).
Sez Rooney's ma to Cooney's da
"Will ye come to the Waxies' Dargle?"
A modern version goes:
Says my aul' one to your aul' one
"Will ye come to the Waxies' Dargle?"
Says your aul' one to my aul' one,
"Sure, I haven't got a farthin'
.
I've just been down to Monto
town
To see old Bill McArdle
But he wouldn't give me a half a crown
For to go to the Waxies' Dargle."
Chorus
"What'll ye have? Will ye have a pint?"
"I'll have a pint with you, sir."
And if one of us doesn't order soon
We'll be thrown out of the boozer
.
Says my aul' one to your aul' one
"Will ye come to the Galway Races
?"
Says your aul' one to my aul' one,
"With the price of me aul' lad's braces.
I went down to Capel Street
To the Jew-man moneylenders
But they wouldn't give me a couple of bob
On me aul' lad's red suspenders."
Says my aul' one to your aul' one
"We have no beef nor mutton
But if we go down to Monto town
We might get a drink for nothin'."
Here's a nice piece of advice
I got from an aul' fishmonger
:
"When food is scarce and you see the hearse
You'll know they've died of hunger.
Music of Ireland
Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces...
folk song
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
about two Dublin "aul' wans" (ladies) discussing how to find money to go on an excursion. It is named after an annual outing to Ringsend
Ringsend
Ringsend is a southside inner suburb of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey, about two kilometres east of the city centre, and is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll Bridge....
, near Dublin city, by Dublin cobblers (waxies). It originated as a 19th-century children's song and is now a popular pub song
Pub song
In English popular culture, the "traditional" pub songs typified by the Cockney "knees up" mostly come from the classics of the music hall, along with numbers from film, the stage and other forms of popular music....
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Origin of the "Waxies' Dargle"
Bray
Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland as of the 2006 census...
and Enniskerry
Enniskerry
Enniskerry is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It had a population of 2,672 at the 2006 census.- Location :...
with their entourages and have picnics on the banks of the River Dargle. The Dargle was a popular holiday resort, and the name in Dublin slang became synonymous with "holiday resort".
The shoe-makers and repairers in Dublin were known as waxies, because they used wax to waterproof and preserve the thread they used in stitching the shoes. Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
and Whitsun
Whitsun
Whitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...
were their principal holidays, Monday being the excursion for men and Tuesday for women.
The original Waxies' Dargle was said to be part of Donnybrook Fair
Donnybrook Fair
Donnybrook Fair was a fair that used to be held in Donnybrook, Dublin from the 13th century until the 1850s. It has given its name to an Irish jig, a broadsheet ballad, and a slang term for a brawl or riot.-History:...
, but due to riotous behaviour this fair closed in 1855. In any case, the waxies' excursions did not go all the way to Bray, but only went as far as Irishtown
Irishtown, Dublin
Irishtown is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the River Liffey, between Ringsend to the north and Sandymount to the south, and is to the east of the River Dodder.-History:...
which is located between Ringsend
Ringsend
Ringsend is a southside inner suburb of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey, about two kilometres east of the city centre, and is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll Bridge....
and Sandymount
Sandymount
Sandymount is a coastal seaside suburb in Dublin 4 on the Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It is in the Dublin South East Dáil constituency and the East Pembroke Ward. It was once part of Pembroke Township, which took its name from the fact that this area was part of the estate of the Earl of...
. In imitation of the gentry, they called their outing the Waxies' Dargle. They drove out from the city to Ringsend on flat drays
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
, ten or a dozen to each vehicle. It cost two pence per car-load and the usual cry of the driver was "Tuppence, an' up with yeh!". Those who wanted a more comfortable ride could take a jaunting car
Jaunting car
A jaunting-car is a light two-wheeled carriage for a single horse, in its most common form with seats for two or four persons placed back to back, with the foot-boards projecting over the wheels...
from D'Olier Street for threepence.
Their destination was a favourite resort for Dubliners, a grass-covered triangle near the sea-front at Irishtown. On Summer evenings fiddlers, flautists and melodeon-players played dance music (sets, half-sets and reels) until midnight. There was a roaring trade in porter, cockles and mussels and "treacle Billy". On Bank holidays there were boxing contests.
There is a engraved stone, marking the location of the Waxies' Dargle "picnic" site near Gleesons Pub in Irishtown.
Robert Gogan describes how the "Waxies' Dargle" focuses on working-class Dublin. The places referenced are in areas frequented by the poor. Monto was an area around Montgomery Street, a notorious red-light district near the centre of Dublin. Capel Street is on the north side of the city and was renowned for its pawnbroking shops, a few of which remain to this day.
The Waxies' Dargle is also mentioned in another Dublin folk-song, Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)
Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)
Monto is an Irish folk song, written by George Desmond Hodnett, music critic of the Irish Times, and popularised by the Dubliners.-Lyrics:Well, if you've got a wing-o, Take her up to Ring-o...
, written by George Desmond Hodnett
George Desmond Hodnett
George Desmond "Hoddy" Hodnett was an Irish musician, song-writer and long-time jazz and popular music critic for the Irish Times.-Life:...
.
The air
The air to which the song is sung is that of Brighton Camp (a reel in G Major), which is also used for The Girl I Left BehindThe Girl I Left Behind
"The Girl I Left Behind" also known as "The Girl I Left Behind Me" is a long-standing popular folk tune and song, dated by most authorities to the late 18th or early 19th century.-History:...
and The Rare Old Mountain Dew
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
-History:It was written by Edward Harrigan with music by Dave Braham, from the Irish drama The Blackbird. It was printed in "Irish street Ballads", 1916. It was later recorded under the title The Rare Old Mountain Dew. It is about the intoxicating properties of Irish moonshine, or Poitín...
. The earliest known version of the melody was printed about 1810 in Hime's Pocket Book for the German Flute or Violin (Dublin), vol. 3, p. 67, under the title The Girl I left Behind Me (in the National Library of Ireland, Dublin).
Lyrics
The song as sung at the turn of the 20th century was a children's song that began:Sez Rooney's ma to Cooney's da
"Will ye come to the Waxies' Dargle?"
A modern version goes:
Says my aul' one to your aul' one
"Will ye come to the Waxies' Dargle?"
Says your aul' one to my aul' one,
"Sure, I haven't got a farthin'
Irish farthing coin
The farthing was the lowest value coin of the pre-decimal Irish pound, worth a quarter of a penny, 1/48 of a shilling or 1/960 of a pound...
.
I've just been down to Monto
Monto
Monto was the nickname for a one-time notorious red light district in Dublin, the capital of Ireland...
town
To see old Bill McArdle
But he wouldn't give me a half a crown
For to go to the Waxies' Dargle."
Chorus
"What'll ye have? Will ye have a pint?"
"I'll have a pint with you, sir."
And if one of us doesn't order soon
We'll be thrown out of the boozer
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
.
Says my aul' one to your aul' one
"Will ye come to the Galway Races
Galway Races
The Galway Races is an Irish horse-racing festival that starts on the last Monday of July every year. Held at Ballybrit Racecourse in Galway, Ireland over seven days, it is the longest of all the race meets that occur in Ireland....
?"
Says your aul' one to my aul' one,
"With the price of me aul' lad's braces.
I went down to Capel Street
To the Jew-man moneylenders
But they wouldn't give me a couple of bob
On me aul' lad's red suspenders."
Says my aul' one to your aul' one
"We have no beef nor mutton
But if we go down to Monto town
We might get a drink for nothin'."
Here's a nice piece of advice
I got from an aul' fishmonger
Fishmonger
A fishmonger is someone who sells fish and seafood...
:
"When food is scarce and you see the hearse
Hearse
A hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...
You'll know they've died of hunger.
Recordings
- Sweeney's MenSweeney's MenSweeney's Men was an Irish traditional band. They emerged from the late 1960s Irish roots revival, along with groups such as The Dubliners and the Clancy Brothers. The founding line-up in May 1966 was 'Galway Joe' Dolan, Johnny Moynihan and Andy Irvine....
as a single released in 1968 - The PoguesThe PoguesThe Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
on their 1984 album Red Roses for MeRed Roses for MeRed Roses for Me was the first full length album by the London-based band The Pogues and was released in 1984. It is filled with traditional Irish music performed with punk influences. Traditional songs and ballads mixed with Shane MacGowan's "gutter hymns" about drinking, fighting and sex was... - Four to the BarFour to the BarFour to the Bar was an Irish band in New York City during the early to mid 1990s.From its beginnings as one more hard-drinking pub band from the boroughs, it ventured into a neotraditional fusion of pop, rock, and Irish and American folk....
on their 1994 live album Craic on the RoadCraic on the Road (album)Craic on the Road: Live at Sam Maguire's was the first full-length album by Four to the Bar, released in 1994.- Track listing :#I'll Tell Me Ma #Waxie's Dargle/The Rare Old Mountain Dew #My Love's in Germany... - Young DublinersYoung DublinersThe Young Dubliners is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988. Their style of music has come to be called Celtic Rock, for the fusion of Irish traditional instruments and music with modern rock...
on their 2005 album Real World - Tom Donovan on A Taste of Ireland: Pub Songs
- Orthodox CeltsOrthodox CeltsOrthodox Celts is a Serbian band which plays Irish folk music combined with rock elements. Despite their unusual sound the band is one of the top acts of the Serbian rock scene and has influenced several younger bands, most notably Tir na n'Og and Irish Stew of Sindidun.The band started their...
on the 1996 live album Muzičke paraleleMuzičke paraleleMuzičke paralele is the live album released by Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Orthodox Celts and Serbian Latin American music band Pachamama. The album was recorded on the bands' concert in Novi Sad Sinagoga held on September 15, 1995, and self-released by the bands in 1996...
. - Dr Strangely Strange referenced as part of "Donnybrook Fair" on their 1969 album Kip of the Serenes
- Los StompersLos StompersLos Stompers are an Irish Music group based in Barcelona, Spain. Formed in 1997, the group refers to itself as post-Irish. They have established themselves as a point of reference on the Catalan music scene, developing from Irish folk beginnings towards a more personalised stance expressed by what...
on their 1998 live album Mezzy on Stage - Marc GunnMarc GunnMarc Gunn is a musician and podcaster. As the autoharp-playing half of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Gunn and partner Andrew McKee developed a following with weekly performances on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. This led to gigs at renaissance faires, science fiction conventions, and...
on his 2009 album Happy Songs of Death - Joe HurleyJoe HurleyJoe Hurley is a singer, songwriter, actor, playwright and voice-over artist. He leads the critically lauded bands Joe Hurley & The Gents and Joe Hurley & Rogue’s March. He is the founder and curator of the Allstar Irish Rock Revue, a musical-literary homage to “The Great Irish Songbook”,...
for the 2008 film I Sell the DeadI Sell The DeadI Sell the Dead is a 2008 comedy horror film, the feature film debut from Irish director Glenn McQuaid. The film is a period horror comedy about grave robbing and stars Dominic Monaghan, Ron Perlman, Larry Fessenden and Angus Scrimm.-Plot:...