Lyr Req: Dobbin's Flowery Vale

Subject: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Laurie McCannell
Date: 07 Jul 98 - 09:11 AM

In connection with some complicated family research, I'm eager to find the lyrics for the Irish folk song "Dobbin's Flowery Vale". My mother's ancestors, the Dobbins, left a place called Dobbin's Flowery Vale in the 1840's, and now we can't find it. I hope someone out there can help me!

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 07 Jul 98 - 09:46 AM

Altan play this as an instrumental on "Harvest storm" and on "The first ten years".

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Wolfgang
Date: 07 Jul 98 - 10:03 AM

Laurie, here's some more information copied after a short sleuth job on the web:

Erin's Flowery Vale (The Irish Girl's Lament) [Laws O29]

DESCRIPTION: The singer chances to see a young couple talking. He is about to take ship for America. She repeatedly expresses her fear that he will forget her. He promises to be true. They kiss; he departs; the singer leaves AUTHOR: unknown EARLIEST DATE: KEYWORDS: separation emigration promise parting FOUND IN: Canada(Mar) Ireland REFERENCES (4 citations): Laws O29, "Erin's Flowery Vale (The Irish Girl's Lament)" Doerflinger, pp. 318-319, "The Irish Girl's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune) SHenry H85, p. 300, "Dobbin's Flowery Vale" (1 text, 1 tune) DT 484, ERINVALE

if that's true, Dobbin's flowery vale is more or less identical to Erin's flowery vale. You can find this in the Digital Tradition database (upper right search window).

Wolfgang

Subject: Lyr Add: DOBBIN'S FLOWERY VALE
From: Alice
Date: 07 Jul 98 - 02:42 PM

Laurie, you can find the words and music for voice and piano accompaniment in Vol 2 of Irish Country Songs, by Herbert Hughes, 1915. There are copies of his 4 volumes in public and University libraries, so you can get it through an inter-library loan.

I compared it to the one that Wolfgang referred to in the database, and it is very close, almost word for word, but with the addition of this information. It is from county Armagh, and Armagh is referred to in the song. There are also some words that are similar sounding such as "Venus" in the database version, where in the written sheet music it says "Phoebus".

DOBBIN'S FLOWERY VALE
traditional, county Armagh
Vol.II 'Irish Country Songs', Herbert Hughes

One morning fair as Phoebus bright his radiant charms display'd
When Flora in her verdant garb the fragrant plains array'd,
As I did rove throughout each grove, no care did me assail,
When a pair I spied by a riverside in Dobbin's Flowery Vale.

As I sat down them to behold beneath a spreading tree
The limpid streams that gently roll'd convey'd these words to me:
"Farewell, sweet maid" the youth he said, "For now I must set sail,
I'll bid adieu to sweet Armagh and Dobbin's Flowery Vale."

"Forbear these thoughts and cruel words that wound a bleeding heart,
For is it true that we're met here, alas, so soon to part?
Must I alone here sigh and moan, to none my grief reveal,
But here lament my cause to vent in Dobbin's Flowery Vale?"

"Unwilling I am to part with you, no longer I can stay,
For Love and Freedom cry "Pursue", those words I must obey
In foreign lands where Freedom smiles, or by the earth conceal'd
I will come home no more to roam from Dobbin's Flowery Vale."

It's mutual love together drew both in a kind embrace,
While tears like rosy drops of dew did trickle down her face.
She strove in vain him to detain, but while she did bewail
He bid adieu and I withdrew from Dobbin's Flowery Vale.

alice in montana

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: alison
Date: 08 Jul 98 - 08:56 PM

Hi,

Has anyone got a tune for this one? I have some relatives here in Oz who came from County Armagh, it'd be fun to sing this to them.

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Alice
Date: 08 Jul 98 - 09:28 PM

Alison, I have the music but no time to do abc of it. Email me and I'll work something out.

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Jon W.
Date: 09 Jul 98 - 12:54 PM

The song is very similar to one I've got on a Mick Moloney album. His version is called (I think) "My Lovely Irish Maid." The verses posted above certainly scan well to his tune. Alice, if you could email a .gif of the music to me (if you have a scanner) I will take the time to put it into ABC and post it. I'm curious to compare it to Mick Moloney's tune. [e-mail]

Jon W.

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Alice
Date: 09 Jul 98 - 06:43 PM

OK, Jon, when I have time to do that, I will, maybe this evening. I may just post it on my website as a jpeg. It will be easier for me to do that. I'll leave a note here when I upload it.

Alice

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: alison
Date: 09 Jul 98 - 09:04 PM

Hi,

Thanks Alice, if you do that then I can Miditext it and we'll get "dots" and ABC.

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Alice
Date: 09 Jul 98 - 09:55 PM

Jon and Alison, I posted the first two pages, which have the complete tune (just repeats through the verses) at this location:

http://www.mcn.net/~acflynn/Dob.html

alice in montana

Subject: Tune Add: DOBBIN'S FLOWERY VALE
From: Jon W.
Date: 10 Jul 98 - 03:37 PM

Here is the ABC of the melody line. It's not at all like Mick Moloney's song.

X: 1
T:DOBBIN'S FLOWERY VALE
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:100
C:Traditional, County Armagh
S:Volume II, Country Irish Songs, Herbert Hughes
K:D Minor
f-e|d2 d-c A2 G2|F-G A2 C2 D2|F2 G2 A-G A-c|
d6 f-e|d2 d-c A2 G-F|G2 A2 C2 D2|F-G A2 D2 D2|
D6 A2|c2 c-A c2 d2|f3 d e2 f-e|
d2 d-c A-G A-c|d4 f3 e|d2 d-c A2 G F|
G2 A2 C2 D2|F-G A2 D2 D2|D6

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Alice
Date: 10 Jul 98 - 05:39 PM

Jon, you need to change that book title to Irish Country Songs, not Country Irish songs (I know, picky, picky, picky). a.

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Martin Ryan.
Date: 11 Jul 98 - 06:36 PM

Robin Morton (once? of the Boys of the Lough) gives the following in his book "Folksongs sung in Ulster":

"Dobbins Flowery Vale is a part of what was the estate of Colonel Dobbin, on the edge of the city of Armagh. Colonel Dobbin was Member of Parliament for the area in the late 18th century....The Vale is still there , very much as it must have been years ago."

Morton was writng nearly thirty years ago - I have a suspicion the area is now a housing estate!

Regards

p.s. "My Lovely Irish Maid" sounds as though it might be "The Bonny Irish Maid" - which is in the DT.

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: bigj
Date: 15 Jul 98 - 05:46 PM

Don't forget Sam Henry's 'Songs of the People' published by the University of Georgia, The song is on page 300 where the notes say, 'Dobbin's Flowery Vale' or 'Dobbin's Walks', a large tract of land in Armagh, was the gift of the benevolent Leonard Dobbin for the use of the citizens of the city. The place, beautifully wooded, was a haunt of lovers on summer eves. The young couple referred to in the song married and settled in the city of their nativity and carried on business in College Street, Armagh. Ahhhh.

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Jon W.
Date: 16 Jul 98 - 05:36 PM

Martin, right you are. Mick must have Americanized it a little bit by substituting "lovely" for "bonny." Actually, his name for the song might be something like "Blackwaterside", I can't remember. DT has no music for it though. I suppose I'll have to transcribe it the best I can and send it in, sometime.

Jon W.

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 17 Jul 98 - 07:24 AM

I may have the music for Bonny Irish Maid - if so i'll try to get them to Dick for the DT.

Regards

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: dulcimer
Date: 03 Mar 01 - 08:26 PM

Little slow in catching up with tunes. Is the ABC tune version above given by Jon W for DFV the same a Altan's version? Have been unable to find an ABC or midi version at any other location.

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 07:12 PM

Just listened to radriano's former group, Out of the Rain sing this song on their tape, Songs of the wage slave. They do a beautiful job of such an incredibly lovely song. The whole tape is full of them, but this one song esp. touched my heart. Thanks for all of the info posted in the past. This is one I shall learn.

kat

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Alice
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 07:57 PM

This old thread brings up my old email and web site address where I scanned and uploaded the sheet music. I've changed email and ISP, so if anyone wants to see the sheet music again, let me know and I will post it to my new site.

Alice

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: michaelr
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 01:54 AM

kat -- I was fortunate enough to move to the SF Bay area just in time to catch Out of the Rain's final (I think) performances. They had a great singer in Suzanne Friend, the incredible Marla Fibish on mandolin (whose parents I had the honor of meeting recently), and of course `catter Radriano on guitar.

On their other tape, "A Common Treasury", they do nice versions of "Paddy's Lamentation", "The World turned upside down", and Gordon Bok's "Hills of Isle Au Haut".

Radriano -- are you still playing publicly?

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: radriano
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 11:50 AM

Hi Michael,

Yeah, I'm still around. People keep trying to convince me to stop but they don't call me Relentless Richard for nothing.

I've been immersing myself in sea music recently, Michael. I'm one of the resident singers at San Franciso's Hyde Street Pier shanty sings. Our next sing is Saturday, August 3rd, starting at eight. It's free but you need to call 415-556-6435 to make a reservation (that's just so we know how many people are coming).

Now that my recording project is finished I am starting to perform again. I've started to show up to sing at some of the sessions like the one at the Starry Plough in Berkeley on Sunday evenings and I'll probably do something for the Tall Ships Festival over Labor Day weekend but the transition from group to solo is kind of daunting. Working with the likes of Suzanne and Marla in Out of the Rain has spoiled me. It's kind of a hard act to follow.

If you want to leave me your e-mail address in a PM (Personal Message in Mudcat talk) I'll let you know where and when I'm performing.


Richard (Radriano)

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: IanC
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 12:12 PM

Broadsides of both are at The Bodleian ... Dobbin's Flowery Vale and Erin's Flow'ry Vale.

BTW Phoebus is a she.

;-)
Ian

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: radriano
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 12:02 PM

IanC is correct. When I sang Dobbin's Flowery Vale with Out of the Rain the first line was:

One morning fair as Phoebus bright her radiant charms displayed


Richard

Subject: RE: dobbin's flowery vale
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 08:05 AM

I've posted some stuff about Dobbin's Flowery Vale in my website Pay The Reckoning.

The following link will take you direct to the piece in question Click here. My source info may not have been correct?

The song is attributed around Lurgan to James Garland and I've included another florid piece, again attributed to Garland, called The Blarismoor Tragedy. Click here