Mrs. McGrath
traditional Irish tune
sung by Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings
Patricia Grace - 1973
The words of this song refer to Mrs. McGrath's son, Ted, who went off with the English to join the Navy to fight in the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars in which France fought for control of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) against Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
Peace is what we all desire. This photo of Ireland was taken by my niece, Audrey Winterer, in 1991. The scene is, indeed, peaceful.
The song reflects the sadness, the anxiety, and finally, the anger of a mother at the personal tragedy of her son losing both of his legs to a canonball. Wistfully, she concludes that she should have kept him at home.
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Copyright 2009. Patricia Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. Please do no download this selection. It is placed on this file for educational purposes. pat@quiltersmuse.com