Cockles and Mussels
An old Irish folk song,
sung by Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings
Audrey Winterer, my niece, stands at this beautiful site overlooking Lower Killarney Lake in 1991. It was the dream of her grandfather, my father, to visit the land of his forebears, Ireland, but alas, it was not to be.. He would be amazed at how well traveled his grandchildren are.
Cockles and Mussels
"In Dublin's Fair City," there is a statue dedicated to "Molly Malone," the fishmonger mentioned in this song. Created by Jeanne Rynhart in time for the city's millenium celebration in 1988, the statue has been erected on Grafton Street. This information was featured in the premier issue of Irish Quilting magazine.
Definitions from The New Oxford American Dictionary
1) Cockle: an edible, burrowing bivalve mollusk with a strong ribbed shell.
2) Mussel: any number of bivalve mollusks with a brown or purplish-black shell.
3) Fishmonger: a person who sells fresh fish for food.
In the songbook, Burl Ives Irish Songs (New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1955, 1956, 1958, by Wayfarer Music Co., Inc), a variation of the third verse of the song, goes like this:
She died of a fever, and none could relieve her,
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone.
But her ghost wheels her barrow through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!
"
Seen above are (my late brother), Jack Grace (1943-1996), and his late wife, Kitty Grace. Looks as though they were having fun, comparing the size of their "catches." Date of this family photo, unknown.
See examples of
Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. All rights reserved. pat@quiltersmuse.com