Patrick Joseph McCall (6 March 1861 – 8 March 1919) was an

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 ...

songwriter and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

, known mostly as the author of lyrics for popular ballads. He was assisted in putting the Wexford ballads, dealing with the 1798 Rising, to music by

Arthur Warren Darley Arthur Warren Darley (19 June 1873 – 19 December 1929) was an Irish violinist, folksong collector, music teacher and adjudicator as well as a traditional music archivist. As a violinist (or " fiddler") he was equally at home in classical music a ...

using traditional Irish airs. His surname is one of the many anglicizations of the Irish surname

Mac Cathmhaoil Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Ma ...

, a family that were chieftains of Kinel Farry (

Clogher Clogher () is a village and civil parish in the border area of south County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, 5.8 miles from the border crossing to County Monaghan. It stands on the townlands of Clogher Demesne and C ...

area) in

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...

Life

McCall was born at 25 Patrick Street,

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 ...

, the son of John McCall (1822–1902), a publican, grocer and folklorist from Clonmore near

Hacketstown Hacketstown (, IPA: �bˠalʲəˈhaceːdʲ, historically known as Ballydrohid (), is a small town in County Carlow, Ireland, near the border with County Wicklow. It is located on the R747 regional road at its junction with the R727. The R ...

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...

. He attended

Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS (colloquially Synger) is a boys' non-fee-paying state school, under the auspices of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, located in the Dublin 8 area of Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1864 by Canon ...

and St. Joseph's Monastery,

Harold's Cross Harold's Cross () is an affluent urban village and inner suburb on the south side of Dublin, Ireland in the postal district D6W. The River Poddle runs through it, though largely in an underground culvert, and it holds a major cemetery, Mount ...

, a

Catholic University School Catholic University School ''(C.U.S.)'' is a private (voluntary) secondary school for boys in Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1867 by Bartholomew Woodlock as a preparatory school for the Catholic University of Ireland, the predecess ...

. He spent his summer holidays in Rathangan,

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

where he spent time with local musicians and ballad singers – his mother came from Rathangan near

Duncormick Duncormick or Duncormac () is a rural village and surrounding community located in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. At the time of the 2016 census, the village of Duncormick had a population of 116 people. The village is from Wexf ...

on the south coast of

. His aunt Ellen Newport provided much of the raw material for the songs and tunes meticulously recorded by her nephew. He also collected many old Irish airs, but is probably best remembered for his patriotic ballads. Airs gathered at rural céilí and sing-songs were delivered back to the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

in Dublin. He contributed to the ''

Dublin Historical Record The ''Dublin Historical Record'' is a history journal established in 1938 and published biannually by the Old Dublin Society. Its focus is on the History of Dublin and it is considered to be a "learned journal An academic journal or scholarly j ...

'', the ''

Irish Monthly The ''Irish Monthly'' was an Irish Catholic magazine founded in Dublin, Ireland in July 1873. Until 1920 it had the sub-title ''A Magazine of General Literature''. History The magazine was founded by Matthew Russell, who was its editor for al ...

'', ''The Shamrock'' and '' Old Moore's Almanac'' (under the pseudonym Cavellus). He was a member of the group in Dublin which founded the

National Literary Society The National Literary Society (also known as the Irish National Literary Society) was founded in Dublin in 1892 by William Butler Yeats. The members first met in John O’Leary's rooms on Mountjoy Square, and later formally at the Rotunda. Its fi ...

and became its first honorary secretary. In the 1902 Dublin Corporation election he was elected as a Dublin city councillor (defeating

James Connolly James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the a ...

) and served three terms. As a councillor he concerned himself with local affairs, particularly projects to alleviate poverty.Liam Gaul: ''Glory O! Glory O! The Life of P. J. McCall'' (Dublin: The History Press Ireland, 2011). He married Margaret Furlong, a sister of the poet

Alice Furlong Alice Furlong (26 November 1866 – 1946) was an Irish writer, poet and political activist who also worked on Irish publications with Douglas Hyde (later President of Ireland). Life She was born at Old Bawn, near Tallaght, County Dublin, the ...

, in 1901. They lived in the suburb of Sutton, near

Howth Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes ...

Writings

* "In the shadow of St. Patrick's. A paper read before the Irish National Literary Society", 27 April 1893 (Carraig Chapbooks No. 3) (Dublin: Sealy, Bryers & Walker, 1894) * ''Irish Noíníns (Daisies)'' (Dublin: Sealy & Bryers, 1894) * ''The Fenian Nights' Entertainments'' (Dublin: T. G. O'Donoghue, 1897) * ''Songs of Erinn'' (London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1899) * ''Pulse of the Bards (Cuisle na hÉigse): Songs and Ballads'' (Dublin: Gill, 1904) * ''Irish Fireside Songs'' (Dublin: Gill, 1911). * "In the Shadow of Christ Church"

art III Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of what ...

in ''Dublin Historical Record'', vol. 2 no. 3 (March 1940)

Popular ballads

* " Follow Me Up to Carlow" * " Boolavogue" * "The Lowlands Low" * "

Kelly the Boy from Killanne Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...

". His manuscript ballad collection is in the National Library of Ireland.

References

External links

*
P.J. McCall memorial inscription

''Irish Nóiníns''
at Google Books {{DEFAULTSORT:McCall, Patrick Joseph 1861 births 1919 deaths Irish poets Irish songwriters Musicians from Dublin (city) People educated at Synge Street CBS People from The Liberties, Dublin