Rocky Road to Dublin - The Dubliners

The Dubliners


The High Kings



Orthodox Celts



While in the merry month of May from me home I started,
Left the girls of Tuam so sad and broken hearted,
Saluted father dear, kissed me darling mother,
Drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother,
Then off to reap the corn, leave where I was born,
Cut a stout black thorn to banish ghosts and goblins;
Bought a pair of brogues rattling o'er the bogs
And fright'ning all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin.

One, two, three four, five,
Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road
all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !

In Mullingar that night I rested limbs so weary,
Started by daylight next morning blithe and early,
Took a drop of pure to keep me heartfrom sinking;
Thats a Paddy's cure whenever he's on drinking.
See the lassies smile, laughing all the while
At me curious style, 'twould set your heart a bubblin'
Asked me was I hired, wages I required,
I was almost tired of the rocky road to Dublin.

One, two, three four, five,
Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road
all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !

In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity
To be soon deprived a view of that fine city.
So then I took a stroll, all among the quality;
Me bundle it was stole, all in a neat locality.
Something crossed me mind, when I looked behind,
No bundle could I find upon me stick a wobblin'
Enquiring for the rogue, they said me Connaught brogue
Wasn't much in vogue on the rocky road to Dublin.

One, two, three four, five,
Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road
all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !

From there I got away, me spirits never falling,
Landed on the quay, just as the ship was sailing.
The Captain at me roared, said that no room had he;
When I jumped aboard, a cabin found for Paddy.
Down among the pigs, played some hearty rigs,
Danced some hearty jigs, the water round me bubbling;
When off Holyhead I wished meself was dead,
Or better for instead on the rocky road to Dublin.

One, two, three four, five,
Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road
all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !

Well the boys of Liverpool, when we safely landed,
Called meself a fool, I could no longer stand it.
Blood began to boil, temper I was losing;
Poor old Erin's Isle they began abusing.
"Hurrah me soul" says I, me Shillelagh I let fly.
Some Galway boys were nigh and saw I was a hobble in,
With a load "hurray !" joined in the affray.
We quitely cleared the way for the rocky road to Dublin.

One, two, three four, five,
Hunt the Hare and turn her down
the rocky road and all the way to Dublin,
Whack follol de rah !


For the 1967 film of the same name, see Rocky Road to Dublin (film).
"Rocky Road to Dublin" is a fast-paced 19th century Irish song about a man's experiences as he travels to Liverpool, England from his home in Tuam. The tune has a typical Irish rhythm, classified as a slip jig and is often performed instrumentally.
The song is partially recited several times by Mr. Deasy in James Joyce's Ulysses.
The words were written by D.K. Gavan, "The Galway Poet", for the English music hall performer Harry Clifton (1824-1872), who popularised the song.
The Dubliners version was used in the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes.



The Dubliners formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin. Initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", the founding members were Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Ciaran Bourke and Barney McKenna. The change of name came about due to Drew's unhappiness with the name, coinciding with the fact that Kelly was reading Dubliners by James Joyce at the time.
Drew spent some time in Spain in his younger years where he learned to play Flamenco guitar, and he accompanied his songs on a Spanish guitar. His gravelly voice has been compared to a cement mixer and the sound of coal being crushed under a door; it is instantly recognizable. Drew left the band in 1974 to spend more time with his family, to be replaced by Jim McCann. He returned to the Dubliners five years later, but left the group again in 1995. Ronnie Drew died at St Vincent's Private Hospital in Dublin on 16 August 2008 after a long illness. Paddy Reilly took Drew's place in 1995. Some of Drew's most significant contributions to the band are the hit single "Seven Drunken Nights", his rendition of "Finnegan's Wake", and "McAlpine's Fusiliers".
Luke Kelly was more of a balladeer than Drew, and he played chords on the five-string banjo. Kelly sang many defining versions of traditional songs like "The Black Velvet Band", "Whiskey in the Jar", "Home Boys Home"; but also Phil Coulter's "The Town I Loved So Well", Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town" and "Raglan Road", written by the famous Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh. Kavanagh met Kelly in a pub, and asked him to sing the song.
In 1980, Luke Kelly was diagnosed with a brain tumour and the band took on a replacement in 1982, Sean Cannon. Sometimes Kelly was too ill to sing, though he was sometimes able to join the band for a few songs, While on tour in Germany he collapsed on stage. He continued to tour with the band until 2 months before his death. One of the last concerts he took part in was recorded and released: Live in Carré (Amsterdam, Netherlands), released in 1983. In November 2004, the Dublin city council voted unanimously to erect a bronze statue of Luke Kelly. Kelly is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
Ciarán Bourke was a singer, but he also played the guitar, tin whistle and harmonica. He sang many songs in Irish ("Peggy Lettermore", "Preab san Ól"). In 1974 disaster struck for Ciarán Bourke: he collapsed on stage after suffering a brain haemorrhage. A second haemorrhage left him paralysed on his left side. Bourke died in 1988. The band did not officially replace him until his death.
Barney McKenna is a renowned tenor banjo and mandolin player. In the Dubliners' stage shows he sings sea shanties and love songs to minimal instrumental accompaniment. He is also well known amongst fans as a great teller of tall stories and jokes.
John Sheahan and Bobby Lynch joined the band in 1964. They had been playing during the interval at concerts, and usually stayed on for the second half of the show. When Luke Kelly moved to England in 1964, Lynch was taken on as his temporary replacement. According to Sheahan, he was never (and still has not been) ever officially asked to join the band. Sheahan is the only member to have had a musical education.


The High Kings are an Irish ballad group. They were formed by the same creators as the Celtic Woman phenomenon. Finbarr Clancy (son of Bobby Clancy), Brian Dunphy (son of Sean Dunphy, who represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967), Martin Furey (son of Finbar Furey of the Fureys) and Broadway/pop/country star Darren Holden make up the group. They recently were featured on PBS during their fund drive special[1].
Darren Holden previously starred as The Pianoman (Billy Joel) in the Broadway musical blockbuster "Movin' Out". He was cast for the role by Joel himself.[citation needed] Holden originated the role for the US National tour which ran from Jan 2004-Jan 2007 and tours of Canada and Japan in 2006. His 2006 release "Roadworks" sold more than 10,000 copies in Japan. Prior to being invited to join the High Kings, he performed regularly with Billy Joel's touring band across the US.

Orthodox Celts is a Serbian band which plays Irish folk music combined with rock elements. Their music led to a popularisation of Irish and Celtic music and other aspects of Irish and Celtic culture in Serbia. Despite their unusual sound the band is currently one of the top acts of the Serbian rock scene and has influenced several younger bands, most notably Tir na n'Og and Irish Stew of Sindidun.
The band started their career with traditional Irish songs and, gradually, introduced more and more of their own material (lyrics mostly written by band's frontman Aleksandar Petrović, music mostly written by band's violinist Ana Đokić). All their songs are in English, but the group has composed some purely instrumental songs as well. The band traditionally celebrates St. Patrick's Day with a large concert in Belgrade.

During the mid-eighties, Roze Poze drummer, Dušan Živanović wanted to form a band which would perform the cover versions of Irish folk songs. Even though he had partially managed to fulfill this idea in Roze Poze, in 1992, Živanović took up playing the accordion and, with Ana Đokić (violin) and Dejan Lalić (mandolin, banjo, tin whistles), formed a band which performed informally at clubs. The first official public appearance the band had on Saint Patrick's day at the British Council in 1992. The following year, vocalist Aleksandar Petrović, also known as Aca Celtic, joined the band and they started working more accurately. The rest of the lineup featured Vladan Jovković on guitar and Dejan Jevtović on bass guitar.
The band released their first self-titled album in mid-1994, featuring cover versions of twelve Irish folk songs. Among the covers appeared the songs "Nancy Whiskey", soccer anthem "A Grand Old Team", "The Wild Rover", "The Irish Rover" and others. The band presented the album live, mainly in Belgrade's KST. The band also had acoustic sets in chamber arrangement. At the time, the band started writing their own songs, keeping up with the existing musical style. Their performance held at Synagogue in Novi Sad on September 15, 1995, with the band Pachamama, was released as a split live album Musical Parallels in 1996.
For the next album, The Celts Strike Again, the band, beside the cover versions of traditional songs, included two of their own songs. As guests on the album appeared Ana Sofrenović who did vocals on the track "Lock Lommond", Vampiri vocalist Aleksandar Eraković did backing vocals, Stočari member Branko Vitas played banjo, Pachama member Miljan Mihaljčić played the traditional instruments and Renesansa member Žorž Grujić played zurla and Serbian bagpipes. Three promotional videos were recorded for the album, for "Drinking Song", "Star Of The County Down" and the title track. The later also appeared on the Radio Index various artists compilation Nas slušaju svi, mi ne slušamo nikoga![1].
In 1997, the band, with Madame Piano, performed at the Budva music festival with the song "Galija". The song appeared on the official festival release. At the time, the band presented their new member, Dejan Popin (tin whistles), and together they started working on their new release. Green Roses, released in 1999, featured sixteen songs, half of which were traditional covers and the other half, their original songs. The album was produced by Aleksandar Radosavljević, and as guests appeared Dragoljub Marković (keyboards), Aleksandar Eraković and Goran Stojković (backing vocals). Promotional videos were recorded for the tracks "Rocky Road to Dublin / Down The River", "Merry Sisters", "Far Away", and the title track.
In 2001, Metropolis records rereleased their debut album on CD, and as bonus tracks appeared the songs from the live album Musical Parallels. The following year, the band released the fourth album, A Moment Like The Longest Day. The album featured the songs written by Đokić (lead vocals on "Can You Get Me Out"), Petrović, new bass guitarist Dejan Grujić and Colette Ioanniduoi. The album featured only one traditional cover, "Humors Of Scariff". Block Out member Nikola Vranjković produced the album, and the band moved to a more pop-oriented sound than on the previous releases. Promotional video was recorded only for the title track.
In 2007, the band released their fifth album, One Two... 5, through Automatik records. The album, produced by Nikola Vranjković, brought eleven songs, two of which are covers of traditional songs[2].
In 2009, Ana Đokić left Orthodox Celts.
Petrović stated that the band plans to tour Ireland in 2010.