"Mrs. McGrath" (also known as "Mrs. McGraw", "My Son Ted", "My Son John", and "The Sergeant and Mrs. McGrath") is an Irish

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

set during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

of the early 19th century. The song tells the story of a woman whose son enters the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and returns seven years later having lost his legs to a

cannonball A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...

while fighting against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

presumably at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro (fought between 3 and 5 May 1811). The general theme of the song is one of

opposition to war An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to ...

. Along with "

Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" (Roud 3137), also known as "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye" or "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya", is a popular traditional song, sung to the same tune as "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". First published in London in 1867 and writte ...

", it is one of the most graphic of all Irish folk songs that deal with sickness and injuries caused by warfare.

Irish folk song Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there we ...

collector Colm Ó Lochlainn described "Mrs. Grath" as "known to every true born citizen of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

". It was very popular among the Irish Volunteers in the years leading up to the

1916 Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

and has been recorded by many singers and folk groups.

History

Although the song probably dates from the time of the Peninsular Wars between 1807 and 1814, the earliest written account of it in Ireland was in 1876. It is believed to have been popular with soldiers during the American Civil War (1861-1865). An archival recording was made in 1951 at the home of

Seamus Ennis Seamus may refer to: * Séamus, a male first name of Gaelic origin Film and television * Seamus (''Family Guy''), a character on the television series ''Family Guy'' * Seamus, a pigeon in '' Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore'' * Seamus Mc ...

. In 1958 the song was recorded by Burl Ives on ''Songs of Ireland'' (Decca DL-8444) and by the Belafonte Folk Singers (RCA LPM-1760) under the name of "The Sergeant and Mrs. McGrath". It was also recorded by Tommy Makem on his 1961 album, ''Songs of Tommy Makem''. Peg and Bobby Clancy performed it on their LP, ''As We Roved Out'', in 1964. The Clancy Brothers recorded the song on the 1966 album '' Isn't It Grand Boys'' under the title "My Son Ted".

The Dubliners The Dubliners were an Folk music of Ireland, Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in personn ...

also recorded it on the 1965 EP ''In Person featuring Ronnie Drew'', and later sang it to new lyrics, though keeping the tune of the original folk song, on the 1968 album '' Drinkin' and Courtin'''. This latter version tells the story of a country boy who goes to college in

but fails due to spending all his money and time on "women and drink". Pete Seeger also recorded it live for "Pete Seeger in Concert: I Can See a New Day" (CBS, 1964).

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

recorded a version of the song on his 2006 album, '' We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions''. Performed frequently on the subsequent Sessions Band Tour, this incarnation was included on the 2007 '' Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin'' audio and video release. Springsteen changed the traditional lyrics slightly. In the original song, Mrs. McGrath would rather have her "son as he used to be than the King of France and his whole navy." In Springsteen's version, this is changed to "King of America."

Fiddler's Green Fiddler's Green is an after-life where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing, and dancers who never tire. In 19th-century English maritime folklore, it was a kind of after-life for sailors who had served at least fifty ye ...

recorded the song with slightly different lyrics for their 2009 album ''Sports Day at Killaloe''.

The Stanfields The Stanfields are a Canadian rock music group, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

also recorded the song with modified lyrics for their 2012 album ''Death & Taxes''. Another version of the song tells the same story about a boy called John. The text of this version is much shorter. The "My Son John" version of the song has been recorded by several different artists, including

Martin Carthy Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such as ...

with

The Imagined Village The Imagined Village is a folk music project founded by Simon Emmerson of Afro Celt Sound System. It is intended to produce modern folk music that represented modern multiculturalism in the United Kingdom and as such, featured musicians from a ...

, Tim Hart and Maddy Prior of

Steeleye Span Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and we ...

, Lew Bear, and actor

John C. Reilly John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer, and writer. After his film debut in ''Casualties of War'' (1989), he gained exposure through his supporting roles in ''Days of Thunder'' (1990), ''Wh ...

. Of these, critic Steven L. Jones singled out Minneapolis group Boiled in Lead's rendition, from their 1989 album ''

From the Ladle to the Grave ''From the Ladle to the Grave'' is the third album by Minneapolis Celtic rock band Boiled in Lead. It was the band's first recording with drummer Robin Adnan Anders, whose influence helped push the band further beyond Celtic rock into exploratio ...

'' as a skillful modernization that also stayed true to the song's politics and "underlying rage and terror."

References

{{authority control Songs about soldiers Songs about the military Irish folk songs Anti-war songs Pete Seeger songs Bruce Springsteen songs The Dubliners songs Year of song unknown

History

See also

References