Spancil Hill is a real place. It's located in east County Clare on the road 5km east of Ennis along the regional road [R352] to Tulla in Ireland, and while the location is currently little more than an area consisting of a crossroad, a small settlement, and some ruined buildings, it was once the site of a famous horse-fair, where horses were brought in from Britain, Russia, Prussia, and France for competition and to purchase for the best stock into their Imperial armies. In ancient times, the area was called "Cnoc Fuar Choile" [the hill of the cold wood]. The word "spancil" relates to the practice of "spancelling" where one ties a short rope to tie a horse's left fore-leg to its right hind leg. This type of hobbling keeps the horse from wandering too far, and yet allows it to graze.
The tune was composed in the late 1930s or early '40s, by Robbie McMahon, a local folk singer and composer. It was during an Irish traditional music session in Spancil Hill, he was going to sing a song version of "Spancill Hill", when the woman of the house, Moira Keane, a relative of Michael Considine upon which the song was based, handed Robbie McMahon the original text of the song saying, "If ye are going to sing that song ye might as well sing it right."
Robbie McMahon confirmed the connection of the song with the tune during a later performance where one of the listeners, John Considine (76 at the time) challenged Robbie's right to sing the song. John had kept his uncle's song safe for 70 years and feared that Robbie would sing it wrong. Robbie told John in how he got the lyrics from Moira Keane, and when he sang it, John Cosidine gave Robbie his approval.
Migration into New Celtic Nations
Like so many Irishmen, Michael Considine (born in around 1850) emigrated to the United States from Spancil Hill in around 1870. Some of his siblings came with him, but others stayed behind, and it was one of his brothers, Patrick Considine, who later died and left his widow to look after his then, five-month old son, John Considine. John was to become the guardian of the song from his uncle Michael when he grew up.
Michael Cosidine worked in Boston for about two years, and it was his intention of bringing his betrothed "sweetheart" over for them to be married when he made enough money for the passage. Unlike the popularized version of the song, his betrothed was of the "mac" association of the ranger's daughter, rather than "Nell" who was the farmer's daughter. According to the 1901 census, Mary MacNamara was born in 1865 and would have been only 5 years old when Michael reportedly left Ireland. This makes it somewhat unclear as to who Michael referred to when he wrote the poem for which the song is based.
He left Boston to move to California, and for whatever reason, he became ill when he was around 23. He suffered for a long time, and knowing he didn't have long to live, he wrote the poem, "Spancil Hill." He sent this poem home in remembrance of his love, and it was kept safe by his six-year old nephew, John Considine. It is believed that Michael Considine died in 1873 and his body was returned to Ireland and buried in the Spancil Hill graveyard. Mary MacNamara who would have been 8 years old when Michael died is said to have remained faithful to his memory and never married.
The lyrics of the poem contains more, but like other musicians, I had to edit those sections out. I hope that kept to the intent of what Michael Considine was thinking when he wrote the poem.
Visit KelticDead Music [ http://www.youtube.com/kelticdead ] for this and other tunes played with ten-hole, diatonic harmonicas.
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Robbie McMahon - The Red Cross Socialby newdeafman382 views
thank you:)
JarekRekinsky 3 months ago
Thank you for providing such interesting Celtic history. Nice song.
thefiddledancer 3 months ago