Prom 72 - Last Night of the Proms 2022

[Bryn]

. . . Auld Lang Syne is just about the only time when Lowland Scots is heard in England on broadcast TV.

And even then, many of the participants in the audience get the words wrong.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

My line in the sand is Proms In The Park(s) and the inevitable Danny Boy in syrupy arrangement from NI . There must be another folk song with no sectarian connections they can sing….

Is Danny Boy sectarian? The words seem unrelated to politics:

Oh, Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountainside,
The summer’s gone, and all the roses falling,
It’s you, it’s you must go, and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow,
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow,
Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
Oh, Danny Boy, oh Danny Boy, I love you so!

But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
Ye’ll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an Ave there for me;
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
Come to me!

However, the name of the melody itself - that’s a different matter.

[french frank]

Is Danny Boy sectarian? The words seem unrelated to politics:

It's considered the unofficial national anthem of Northern Ireland, but it's title of Londonderry Air certainly has sectarian overtones.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Is Danny Boy sectarian? The words seem unrelated to politics:

Oh, Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountainside,
The summer’s gone, and all the roses falling,
It’s you, it’s you must go, and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow,
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow,
Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
Oh, Danny Boy, oh Danny Boy, I love you so!

But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
Ye’ll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an Ave there for me;
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
Come to me!

However, the name of the melody itself - that’s a different matter.

Ah no the ambiguity of the English language! I meant another song that like Danny Boy is non sectarian ….
If you call it the Londonderry Air then you are starting to tread on toes.

[Master Jacques]

Two things of some interest re. The Londonderry Air. First, those familiar words were written in the 20th c. by F. E. Weatherley, an English barrister who also wrote "Roses of Picardy" and - more to the musical point - the classic English versions of Pag and Cav ("On with the Motley" and all that).

Second, the only religious reference is, rather oddly, a Roman Catholic one ("kneel and say an Ave there for me"). That makes it provenance as a Northern Ireland protestant "anthem" rather curious, to say the least!

[Prommer]

Not knowing most of the first half I may well listen to as far as, but not including the usual National Front/British Movement stuff, and then switch off and do something meaningful for a change.

Surely more National Anthem, than National Front. And what is the British Movement? I'm fairly sure not much to do with the Proms, including the Last Night.

If you seek something meaningful, please start with making meaningful distinctions!

[Prommer]

Ah no the ambiguity of the English language! I meant another song that like Danny Boy is non sectarian ….
If you call it the Londonderry Air then you are starting to tread on toes.

Yes, Derry vs Londonderry.

But otherwise Danny Boy is not controversial. Now, Lilliburlero, that would be more so.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Two things of some interest re. The Londonderry Air. First, those familiar words were written in the 20th c. by F. E. Weatherley, an English barrister who also wrote "Roses of Picardy" and - more to the musical point - the classic English versions of Pag and Cav ("On with the Motley" and all that).

Second, the only religious reference is, rather oddly, a Roman Catholic one ("kneel and say an Ave there for me"). That makes it provenance as a Northern Ireland protestant "anthem" rather curious, to say the least!

Is it thought of as a Northern Ireland Protestant anthem ?. Mary O’Hara used to sing it and she was very definitely not Northern Irish Protestant.She must have intoned thousands of Ave Maria’s…
The problem with it is that it’s overplayed.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Yes, Derry vs Londonderry.

But otherwise Danny Boy is not controversial. Now, Lilliburlero, that would be more so.

Yep for years it was the sig tune of the World Service news which really used to annoy my Dubliner dad,,,.mind you so did a lot of things.

[french frank]

Is it thought of as a Northern Ireland Protestant anthem ?.

It was used at the Commonwealth Games this year as the NI 'tune'. The National Anthem is, of course God Save the Queen, which is why I said 'unoffical' in #18. But then GStQ might be thought of as sectarian! The Protestant bit is Londonderry.

[Padraig]

The problem with it is that it’s overplayed.

No it isn't! . .. and anyone may sing this Air.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ndvSUA_kfk

[Ein Heldenleben]

No it isn't! . .. and anyone may sing this Air.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ndvSUA_kfk

I just wish they’d sing another Irish tune though , yes , Danny Boy is one of the all time greats . Similarly the Welsh tune is , more often than not Ar Hyd Y Nos . Time for a change - what about Sospan Fach ?
It occurred to me that for the English Sports TV viewer The Fields Of Athenry is probably heard more …. Though you can rarely make out the words. And the viewing figures for Rugby are way higher than the LNOP. Perhaps it should get an outing ? - the famine also affected the North severely.

[Master Jacques]

Is it thought of as a Northern Ireland Protestant anthem ?. Mary O’Hara used to sing it and she was very definitely not Northern Irish Protestant.She must have intoned thousands of Ave Maria’s…
The problem with it is that it’s overplayed.

I think it is largely Protestant. After all, it is difficult to imagine republicans calling the city anything other than Derry, and calling the song Derry Air wouldn't have just me doing schoolboy sniggers, methinks!

[smittims]

I object to announcing the purely-instrumental version of the melody as 'Danny Boy', as happens on R3 sometimes. The tune is , I believe , much older than the familiar lyric, and has had various versions.

As to its title, I think Percy Grainger's is best : 'Irish tune from County Derry'.

[Bryn]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Boy