Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains says:
"My grandmother used to sing this song at traditional house parties in the Sliabh Bloom Mountains of central Ireland. I can still remember her sitting on an old wooden milk churn in a countryThe Malabar coast refers to the southern half of the western coast of India facing the Arabian Sea from south of Goa to Kanyakumari at the southern tip. Frederic Edward Weatherly, KC (1848–1929) was an English lawyer, author, lyricist and broadcaster. He is estimated to have written the lyrics to at least 3,000 popular songs, among the best-known of which are the sentimental ballad "Danny Boy" set to the tune "Londonderry Air", the religious "The Holy City", and the wartime song "Roses of Picardy". He did not consider "Maid of Malabar" significant enough to be included in his list of compositions in his Who's Who entry. The only recording of this that I have heard is by The Chieftains with Ry Cooder. |