"Thady Quill" (or "Bold Thady Quill") is a popular traditional

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

song. The song was written about a man living in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, depicting him "as a beer-swilling, lady-loving sportsman" when he was actually none of those things. Recordings include

The Clancy Brothers The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumper sweaters and are widely credited with popu ...

on their album ''

Come Fill Your Glass with Us ''Come Fill Your Glass with Us: Irish Songs of Drinking & Blackguarding'' is a collection of traditional Irish drinking songs that first brought The Clancy Brothers and their frequent collaborator Tommy Makem to prominence. It was their second a ...

''.

Composer

The ballad "The Bould Thady Quill" was composed by

Johnny Tom Gleeson Johnny Tom Gleeson (1853–1924) was an Irish poet and songwriter. He wrote the ballad "The Bould Thady Quill" (c.1895), a spoof on a non-athlete, and two other noted poems: "The Battle Ship Sinn Féin" (c.1905), his only patriotic piece, and " ...

around 1895 and first put to paper in 1905. Gleeson (1853–1924) was a farmer who lived near

Rylane Rylane Cross () is a village in County Cork, Ireland. The town is situated roughly midway between Millstreet and Cork city, north of Macroom in the parish of Aghabullogue. Ringfort A ringfort was depicted on 1842 and 1904 OS 6-inch maps as hachu ...

, County Cork. He fancied himself a poet/balladeer, lampooning many of his neighbors and acquaintances."Johnny Tom Gleeson" written by James A. Chisman and published by The Three Spires Press, Cork, Ireland, 1994.
2011 eBook edition
)

Subject

Timothy "Thady" Quill (c.1860–1932) was a poor laborer and occasional cattle jobber, who, owning no land nor house, did odd-jobs for the local farmers. Thady, although a burly man, was no athlete, apparently teetotal, while sleeping in barns did not endear him to the ladies—he died a bachelor. Johnny Tom Gleeson engaged Thady as a labourer. However, instead of paying him, he "immortalized" Thady with this ballad, which pleased Thady no end.

Published versions

A version of the ballad with music was published in "Soodlum's Irish Ballad Book" by Oak Publications, London, England, 1982, and another in "Comic Songs of Cork and Kerry" by James N. Healy, published by

Mercier Press Mercier Press is a publisher based in Cork, Ireland. It is the longest established independent Irish publishing house. History The company was founded in 1944 by Seán Feehan, and initially published religious books. In 1946 they published ''Thi ...

, 1978.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Lyrics
at beltainemusic.com
"Bold Thady Quill"
by

via

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Irish folk songs