"From Clare to Here" is a ballad about Irish emigration written by

Ralph McTell Ralph McTell (born Ralph May, 3 December 1944) is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s. McTell is best known for his song " Streets of London" (19 ...

. It has also been recorded by The Furey Brothers & Davey Arthur on the 1977 album ''Emigrant''; by

Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She appeared many times on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'' starting in 1985 (season 10). In 1994 she won a Grammy Award fo ...

and

Pete Cummins Pete Cummins (born 1946, Dublin, Ireland), is an Irish musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter, actor and record producer. Cummins plays acoustic, bass and electric guitars. He won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album after his vo ...

on the 1993 album '' Other Voices, Other Rooms''; as a b-side by

Duke Special Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...

on the 2006 single '' Last Night I Nearly Died''; and by Ben Glover on his 2016 album ''The Emigrant''. McTell's original version appears on his 1976 album '' Right Side Up''. In the sleevenotes of the remaster, he wryly describes it as his "second most covered song".

Background

In 1963, McTell was working on a building site, and it is of this time that he wrote, in the mid-1970s, "From Clare to Here". "There was an Irish gang on the site, and the ''

craic ''Craic'' ( ) or ''crack'' is a term for news, gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland. It is often used with the definite article – ''the'' craic – as in the expression "What's the craic ...

'', as they call it, relieved the stress of the hard work. I was working with an Irishman called Michael, as so many of them are. And I said to him, 'It must be very strange to be here in London after the place you come from.' And he responded by saying, 'Yes, it's a long way from Clare to here.'""From Clare to Here" (live), ''Live at Troubador Festival 1997''

References

External links

Official Ralph McTell Homepage run by Leola Music
Ralph McTell songs Songs of the Irish diaspora 1976 songs {{Ireland-stub