The Doegen Project

In 1888, a German linguist called Wilhelm Doegen travelled to a Prisoner of War (POW) camp in Giessen, north of Frankfurt. Doegen was conducting research on the language, music and songs of the prisoners of war captured by the Germans during The Great War 1914-1918.

On 27 September 1917, Doegen recorded a man singing an Irish song in Giessen POW camp.


Belfast-born shoemaker John McCrory (36) sang "The Pride of Liscarroll". It can be heard on the BBC website, or the digitally enhanced audio can be played via The Irish Times Soundcloud account here.

This song tells a heart-warming tale of a local girl in Cork, whose community looks after her after a tragic accident involving the death of her lover. It really is quite a lovely story. The song is also known as "The Blind Irish Girl", "Sweet Kitty Farrell" or "Katie Farrell".

In our native town Liscarroll there dwells a colleen who was blind
And they called her Katie Farrell to her the neighbours all were kind
To see her knit beside her mother you never would think her sight was gone
And with Barney her young brother she milked the cows at early dawn

She’s the pride of Liscarroll this sweet Katie Farrell
With cheeks as red as roses and teeth as white as pearl
And the neighbours all pity that colleen so pretty
And oh how we all love that blind Irish girl

Well years ago when Kate were courting her young lover Ned Molloy
One night as they were both out walking with hearts like children full of joy
A storm arose and Kate got frightened she seized the arm of sweet heart Ned
And they both were struck by lightning they found her blind and he was dead

She’s the pride of Liscarroll this sweet Katie Farrell
With cheeks as red as roses and teeth as white as pearl
And the neighbours all pity this colleen so pretty
And oh how we all love that blind Irish girl.

Other versions of this song can be found on the Irish Traditional Music Archive website.

---

On the same day, Doegen recorded a man called Private James McAssey from Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow, as he sang a song called "No One To Welcome Me Home".

A version of this was collected by Clare County Library, in which there is no mention of Ireland whatsoever. It's interesting, therefore, that the chorus in McAssey's version goes: "No one to welcome me home, far away / No one to welcome me home / For it's when I'll return to old Ireland again / I'll have no one to welcome me home." 

In the twilight I wandered alone,
Far, far away from own native home.
Fatherless, motherless sadly I roam:
I’ll have no-one to welcome me home.

I’ll have no-one to welcome me home far away,
I’ll have no-one to welcome me home.
And when I will return to the land of my birth,
I’ll have no-one to welcome me home.

‘Tis well I remember that little brown cot
In old Ireland far over the sea.
That little brown cot in the top of the hill,
Where my mother stands waiting for me.

Saying, ‘Me boy you are bound for a strange land to roam,
And you’re leaving me here all alone.
If you ever return to the land of your birth,
You won’t have me to welcome you home.’

I’ll have no-one to welcome me home far away
I’ll have no-one to welcome me home.
And when I will return to the land of my birth
I’ll have no-one to welcome me home.

My mother she stood at the quay all alone,
With a handkerchief up to her eyes.
As she watched the big ship sailing out with the tide,
It was then she began for to cry.

Saying, ‘Me boy, take this locket a gift now from me,
And inside there her photo was placed.
And these were the words she embraced with a sigh:
‘You won’t have me to welcome you home.’

I’ll have no-one to welcome me home far away,
I’ll have no-one to welcome me home.
And when I will return, to the land of my birth,
I’ll have no-one to welcome me home.

Another version of this song, with slightly altered melody and lyrics, is called "Emigrant's Lament" and talks about an English emigrant working in the Colorado coal mines. Listen to James McAssey sing it on 27 September 1917 here.

---

The final song in the recordings is "Where The River Shannon Flows", sung by Waterford man, Private Edward Duggan. Listen to him sing it here.

There's a pretty spot in Ireland
I always claim for my land
Where the fairies and the blarney will never, never die
It's the land of the shillalah
My heart goes back there daily
To the girl I left behind me when we kissed and said goodbye

CHORUS:
Where dear old Shannon's flowing
Where the three-leaved shamrock's grows
Where my heart is I am going to my little Irish rose
And the moment that I meet her
With a hug and kiss I'll greet her
For there's not a cailín sweeter where the River Shannon flows.

---

The Irish Times has written a fantastic piece on these POW tapes entitled The Soldiers' Songs. I encourage anyone interested in the singers - the soldiers themselves - to have a read.