Bill Posters Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 If the experiment is to be conducted properly, it is better to have more than one test subject. Beegorrah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Laxey Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 Manx forums boat trip to Dublin. The song could be re-enacted but going from here to Dublin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Laxey Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 See me Jimmy, . . . this afternoon I've been to every pub in the vicinity of Dick Darbies. Trying to suss this one out. I'm going to take a proper consensus meself. In Dublin. Proper Guinness. You see, even the bands in Dublin make up the words themselves. The 'kids' don't really care these days. It's a bit like the young folk of today spelling words they way they sound (anyone here remember ita?). No attention to detail or for that matter correctness. But it does matter because the bloke that wrote the song, about a gang of lads going to the Isle of Man from Dublin 30-40 years ago, was writing a bit of history. He was recording what was going on. The tempo of the song even - fast and furious with information packed sentences that fleet by if you don't listen. The Crack Was Ninety in The Isle of Man. This place - the Isle of Man - was the Ibifa etc. of the UK in those days. It rocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 Cheers Stav not heard Christy Moore's version before. (Incidently, the tag says it is by Christy Moore & Donal Luney & ... And who?) Good post Jack. I've always liked this song it is a little glimpse of the Island before I was born. Have you read John Betjamin's description of the Island at that time as a microcosm of Western Civilation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavros Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 Sorry Dec, I'm not sure but it might be Matt Molloy. Stav. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Laxey Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 "Christy Moore collaborated with various, musicians such as Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn, which lead to the formation of Planxty, a band who were at the leading edge of the revival of Irish traditional music. " THE CRACK WAS 90 IN THE ISLE OF MAN Weren't we the rare oul' stock? Spent the evenin' gettin' locked In the Ace of Hearts where the high stools were engaging, Over the Butt Bridge, down by the dock and the boat she sailed at five o'clock "Hurry, lads," . . said Whack, "or before we're there we'll all be back Carry him if you can" oh The Crack was Ninety in the Isle of Man. Before we reached the Alexander Base; The ding dong we did surely raise In the bar of the ship we had great sport, as the boat she sailed out from the port Landed up in the Douglas Head; Enquired for a vacant bed. The dining room we got shown by a decent woman of the Lord/(up the road?) "Lads, ate it if you can", oh The Crack was Ninety in the Isle of Man. Next morning went for a ramble round; And saw the sights of Douglas Town Then we went for a mighty session, in a pub they call Dick Darbies. All got drunk by half-past three; To sober up went swimmin' in the sea Back to the digs for the spruce up and while waitin' for the rosie We all drew up our plan; oh The Crack was Ninety in the Isle of Man. That night we went to the Texas Bar; Came back down by horse and car. Met Big Jim and we all went in to drink some wine in Yate's. The Liverpool girls, it was said, were all to be met in the Douglas Head McShane was there in tie and shirt, The foreign girls he was tryin' to flirt sayin' "Here girls, I'm your man," oh The Crack was Ninety in the Isle of Man. Whacker fancied his good looks; On an Isle of Man woman he was struck. But a Liverpool lad was by her side. And he throwin' the jar into her.' Whacker thought he'd take a chance so he asked the quare one out to dance. Around the floor they stepped it out, To Whack it was no bother Everythin' was goin' to plan; oh The Crack was Ninety in the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man woman fancied Whack; Your man stood there till his mates came back and Whack! they all whacked into Whack, and Whack was landed out on his back. The police force arrived as well . . Banjoed a couple of them as well and Ended up in the Douglas jail, until the Dublin boat did sail, Deported every man, oh The Crack was Ninety in the Isle of Man (one of various versions) I wonder if any ex-policemen on the forum could verify or heard about any of the events in this tale! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavros Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 There are ex-policemen on here? But that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it? Stav. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave the Cardboard Box Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 The band I heard in Dublin were old buggers, not young fellas making it up. And I think I was nearby at the gestation of the song. Swing that lamp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Probably totally off topic, but I'm aware of many Irish "sessions", where the song "Dirty Old Town" is played, the Pogues did a pretty good cover version of it which may have something to do with this. I'm wondering how it has become so entrenched in Irish music - enough even to make people think it is an Irish Tune, it was in fact penned by the English Folk artist Ewan McColl (father of the late Kirsty McColl) - written about his home town, Salford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Probably totally off topic, but I'm aware of many Irish "sessions", where the song "Dirty Old Town" is played, the Pogues did a pretty good cover version of it which may have something to do with this. I'm wondering how it has become so entrenched in Irish music - enough even to make people think it is an Irish Tune, it was in fact penned by the English Folk artist Ewan McColl (father of the late Kirsty McColl) - written about his home town, Salford. Going further off topic... Elvis Costello produced the Pogues version of it, which he claimed it was an act of revenge on his part. His first ever gig was at a folk club in Birkenhead and Ewan McColl fell asleep in the front during his set. Ewan McColl also wrote the First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Which seems to have become a standard for American MOR types. Wikipedia gives more info on Dirty Old Town's origin's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Ewan McColl also wrote the First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Which seems to have become a standard for American MOR types. Off thread, but ....Roberta Flack's version is very haunting; makes you want to stop what you are doing and just listen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Git Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craic Craic is a word in common usage in Ireland meaning fun, enjoyment, or good times, often in the context of drinking or music. It can also mean a person who is good company. The word originally comes from the English word crack, used in the more archaic sense of "fun" (cf. "to crack a joke"). This was borrowed into the Irish language with a gaelicised spelling, and the Irish spelling has recently been reborrowed into Hiberno-English to denote a specifically Irish concept of "fun". Until the 1980s this spelling was unknown in English: Barney Rush's 1960s song "The Crack was Ninety in the Isle of Man" uses the older spelling. Examples of use would be a reply to the question, "How was your evening?" such as "Aye, it was good craic," which could mean several things, but implies that the evening was enjoyable. Craic is deliberately vague in its explanation, as it is used in several contexts, particularly and usually by Irish people, to convey or imply many different feelings or convictions. It is not used, however, evasively or to avoid giving information. Craic can also be used in a negative sense, such as, "Oh, that's bad craic," meaning something negative that happened with intent. However, the positive usage of the word remains more prevalent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scribe Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Not done this before so hope it works. Long story but came across "the crack was ninety" while in N Ireland last week. Keen to visit the pubs listed - so far Texas Bar - gone - Douglas Bay Hotel. Yates - gone - Tower Insurance. Douglas Head - gone - now apartments. This only leaves Dick Darbies - anyone help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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