The Parting Glass
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"The Parting Glass" is a Scottish
traditional song Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
, often sung at the end of a gathering of friends. It has also long been sung in Ireland, enjoying considerable popularity to this day and strongly influencing the style in which it is often now sung. It was purportedly the most popular
parting Parting may refer to: * ''Parting'' (film), a 2016 Afghan-Iranian film * Parting.com, a funeral home directory *Parting tradition * Cleavage (crystal)#Parting *Side-parting, a common male hairstyle: see Regular haircut * PartinG (gamer), a South K ...
song sung in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
before
Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...
wrote "
Auld Lang Syne "Auld Lang Syne" (: note "s" rather than "z") is a popular song, particularly in the English-speaking world. Traditionally, it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. By extension, it is also often ...
".


History


Referent

The "parting glass", or " stirrup cup", was the final hospitality offered to a departing guest. Once they had mounted, they were presented one final drink to fortify them for their travels. The custom was practised in several continental countries.


Text

The earliest known printed version was as a
broadside Broadside or broadsides may refer to: Naval * Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare Printing and literature * Broadside (comic ...
in the 1770s and it first appeared in book form in ''Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, Heroic Ballads, etc.'' by
Herd A herd is a social group of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with this is called ''herding''. These animals are known as gregarious animals. The term ''herd'' is ...
. An early version is sometimes attributed to Sir Alex Boswell. The text is doubtless older than its 1770 appearance in broadside, as it was recorded in the Skene Manuscript, a collection of Scottish airs written at various dates between 1615 and 1635. It was known at least as early as 1605, when a portion of the first stanza was written in a farewell letter, as a poem now known as "Armstrong's Goodnight", by one of the
Border Reivers Border reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border ...
executed that year for the murder in 1600 of
Sir John Carmichael Sir John Carmichael (died 16 June 1600) was a Scottish soldier, the Keeper of Liddesdale, a diplomat, and owner of Fenton Tower at Kingston, East Lothian. Career He was the son of John Carmichael and Elizabeth Somerville, a daughter of Hugh Some ...
, Warden of the Scottish West March. Exact lyrics vary between arrangements, but they include most, if not all, of the following stanzas appearing in different orders: (The final verse is the first verse in the Scots version.)


Tune

The earliest known appearance of the tune today associated with this text is as a fiddle tune called "The Peacock", included in James Aird's ''A Selection of Scots, English, Irish and Foreign Airs'' in 1782. Robert Burns referred to the air in 1786 as "Good night, and joy be wi' ye a'." when using it to accompany his
Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...
lyric "The Farewell. To the brethren of St. James's Lodge, Tarbolton". In 1800–1802, the song was incorrectly attributed to Joseph Haydn by
Sigismund von Neukomm Sigismond Neukomm or Sigismund Ritter von Neukomm fter ennoblement as a knight">ennoblement.html" ;"title="fter ennoblement">fter ennoblement as a knight(10 July 1778, in Salzburg – 3 April 1858, in Paris) was an Austrian composer and pianist ...
(1778-1858), who entered it in the
Hoboken catalogue The Hoboken catalogue is a catalogue of the musical compositions by Joseph Haydn compiled by Anthony van Hoboken. It is intended to cover the composer's entire oeuvre and includes over 750 entries. Its full title in the original German is ''Josep ...
as "Good night and joy be wi' ye. Hob XXXIa 254. Mi mineur", which text has been wrongly attributed to Sir Alexander Boswell (1775-1822).
Patrick Weston Joyce Patrick Weston Joyce, commonly known as P. W. Joyce (1827 – 7 January 1914) was an Irish historian, writer and music collector, known particularly for his research in Irish etymology and local place names of Ireland. Biography He was born i ...
, in his ''Old Irish Folk Music and Songs'' (1909), gives the tune with a different text under the name "Sweet Cootehill Town," noting, "The air seems to have been used indeed as a general farewell tune, so that—from the words of another song of the same class—it is often called 'Good night and joy be with you all.'" The celebrated Irish folk song collector
Colm Ó Lochlainn Colm Ó Lochlainn (1892 – 26 June 1972) was a printer, typographer, collector of Irish ballads and traditional Irish Uilleann piper. He was notably the author of ''Irish Street Ballads'' published in 1939 and ''More Irish Street Ballads'' in 1 ...
has taken note of this identity of melodies between "The Parting Glass" and "Sweet Cootehill Town". "Sweet Cootehill Town" is another traditional farewell song, this time involving a man leaving Ireland to go to America. The tune appeared, with sacred lyrics, in 19th century American tunebooks. "Shouting Hymn" in
Jeremiah Ingalls Jeremiah Ingalls (March 1, 1764 – April 6, 1838) was an early North-list of American composers, American composer, considered a part of the Yankee tunesmiths, First New England School. Biography Jeremiah Ingalls was born in Andover, Massachus ...
's ''Christian Harmony'' (1805) is a related tune. The tune achieved wider currency among
shape note Shape notes are a musical notation designed to facilitate congregational and social singing. The notation, introduced in late 18th century England, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools. Shapes were added to the noteh ...
singers with its publication, associated with a text first known in the 1814 ''Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs'', "Come Now Ye Lovely Social Band", in William Walker's ''
Southern Harmony The ''Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion'' is a shape note hymn and tune book compiled by William Walker, first published in 1835. The book is notable for having originated or popularized several hymn tunes found in modern hymnals and sha ...
'' (1835), and in ''
The Sacred Harp Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music that originated in New England and was later perpetuated and carried on in the American South. The name is derived from ''The Sacred Harp'', a ubiquitous and historically important tun ...
'' (1844). This form of the song is still widely sung by Sacred Harp singers under the title "Clamanda".


Irish and North American influence

Dr Lori Watson, a lecturer in Scottish Ethnology at the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
states that it’s difficult to fully trace the origins of many traditional songs: In regard to a modern version by Irish musician Hozier, Scottish singer-songwriter
Karine Polwart Karine Polwart ( ) (born 23 December 1970) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She writes and performs music with a strong folk and roots feel, her songs dealing with a variety of issues from alcoholism to genocide. She has been most recognised fo ...
notes:


Modern adaptations

"The Parting Glass" was re-introduced to mid-20th century audiences by the recordings and performances of
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
. Their rendition featured a solo vocal by youngest brother
Liam Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William. Etymology The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these elem ...
and first appeared on their 1959 Tradition Records LP ''
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 ...
'' as well as on a number of subsequent recordings, including the group's high-charting live performance album, ''
In Person at Carnegie Hall ''In Person at Carnegie Hall'' was the seminal Irish folk group The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem's most successful album. It was recorded in Carnegie Hall on 17 March 1963 at their annual St. Patrick's Day concert. In the documentary, ''The ...
''. The rendition by the Clancys and Makem has been described as "by all accounts... the most influential" of the many recorded versions. The song "
Restless Farewell "Restless Farewell" is a song by Bob Dylan, released as the final track on his third studio album '' The Times They Are a-Changin in 1964. The melody is based on the Scottish folk song "The Parting Glass". Notable performances In 1995, Dylan ...
", written by
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
and featured on '' The Times They Are a-Changin''' from 1964, uses the melody of the nineteenth century versions of "The Parting Glass" with Dylan's original lyrics. Dylan had learned the tune from the singing of the Clancys and Makem. In 1998, the traditional words were set to a new, different melody (reminiscent of
Mo Ghile Mear "Mo Ghile Mear" (translated "My Gallant Darling", "My Spirited Lad" and variants) is an Irish song. The modern form of the song was composed in the early 1970s by Dónal Ó Liatháin (1934–2008), using a traditional air collected in Cúil Aodha, ...
, another Irish traditional song) by Irish composer
Shaun Davey Shaun Davey (born 18 January 1948) is an Irish composer. Early years Shaun Davey was born in Belfast in 1948 and attended Rockport School in County Down. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in the history of Art in 1971. He then took a ...
. In 2002, he orchestrated this version for orchestra, choir, pipes, fiddle, and percussion to commemorate the opening of the Helix Concert Hall, Dublin, Ireland. His version appears in the film
Waking Ned Devine ''Waking Ned'' (titled ''Waking Ned Devine'' in North America) is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Kirk Jones and starring Ian Bannen, David Kelly, and Fionnula Flanagan. Kelly was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his r ...
.


Film, TV and other media appearances

The song features prominently at the end of the movie ''
Waking Ned Devine ''Waking Ned'' (titled ''Waking Ned Devine'' in North America) is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Kirk Jones and starring Ian Bannen, David Kelly, and Fionnula Flanagan. Kelly was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his r ...
'' when friends of the deceased title character share a toast to him after his death. Actor
Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...
performed a version of this song in the 2002 movie '' Evelyn''. Actresses
Emily Kinney Emily Rebecca Kinney is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her role as Beth Greene on AMC's horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2015, 2018). Kinney has also appeared on several other televisio ...
and
Lauren Cohan Lauren Cohan (born January 7, 1982) is an American-British actress best known for her role as Maggie Greene in the AMC post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2018; 2020–2022). Her other notable TV roles inclu ...
performed a rendition of this song in the season three premiere episode "Seed" of ''The Walking Dead''. It also appears on the soundtrack, '' The Walking Dead: Original Soundtrack – Vol. 1''. It was sung by
Anne Bonny Anne Bonny (8 March 1697 – disappeared April 1721), sometimes Anne Bonney, was an Irish pirate operating in the Caribbean, and one of the few female pirates in recorded history. What little that is known of her life comes largely from Capta ...
(played by
Sarah Greene Elizabeth Sarah Greene (born 24 October 1957) is an English television presenter and actress. She co-presented ''Blue Peter'' from May 1980 until June 1983, and hosted the Saturday-morning series '' Saturday Superstore'' and ''Going Live!''. E ...
) at the ending of the video game '' Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag''. It was sung by
The Wailin' Jennys The Wailin' Jennys are a Canadian music group. They have released several albums and received two Juno Awards. The group has been featured several times on the American Public Media program ''A Prairie Home Companion'' and their album ''Firecr ...
in the film '' Wildlike''. It was sung in the TV series '' Cranford'' by
Joe McFadden Joseph McFadden (born 9 October 1975) is a Scottish actor best known for his roles in ''The Crow Road,'' '' Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll, Heartbeat'' and '' Holby City.'' McFadden won the 2017 series of the BBC One series '' Strictly Come Dancing ...
in 2007. At the request of
Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
, to end her guest-edited edition of
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's
Today programme ''Today'', colloquially known as ''the Today programme'', is a long-running British morning news and current-affairs Radio program, radio programme on BBC Radio 4. Broadcast on Monday to Saturday from 6:00 am to 9:00 am, it is produced by BBC N ...
with the song, a version by singer
Karine Polwart Karine Polwart ( ) (born 23 December 1970) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She writes and performs music with a strong folk and roots feel, her songs dealing with a variety of issues from alcoholism to genocide. She has been most recognised fo ...
and pianist Dave Milligan was commissioned.


Notable recordings


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parting Glass, The Songs about parting Ed Sheeran songs Irish folk songs Scottish folk songs The Dubliners songs The Pogues songs Year of song unknown Drinking songs