THE HILLS OF KILLARNEY (had to dig into my Irish roots to write this one).

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WESTWLZ.STY Triple Time Western Waltz (52bpm)

531: Bass, Acoustic Pop Sw 065
1108:Guitar, Acoustic Fingerpicking BluegrassWaltz Ev 140
1107:Fiddle, Background BluegrassWaltz Ev 140
1109:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming BluegrassWaltz Ev 140
3072:Mandolin, Rhythm AmericanaSlow128Andy Sw 040
3128:Mandola, Background AmericanaFolkAndy Sw060
RealDrums=EthnicWaltz

Other instruments (Reason 11)
Oboe, Piccolo, Mandolin Ensemble (mixed with Audacity)

Vocals: via Shure PG58, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Reaper DAW, Noise Ash Vocal Finalizer (doubler & reverb).

LYRICS:

The Hills Of Killarney

Seven long years have I been gone
Far, far away, 'cross the sea
Now I've served my time, but when I return
Will my true love still love me?

The famine was cruel, but I was a fool
Takin' what wasn't my own
Then off was I sent to Van Diemen's Land
Leavin' my true love all alone

(chorus)
Now the Hills of Killarney are a sight to behold
And Tralee is most dear to my heart
But I'd trade them right now to be with you again
And hear you say we'll never part

16 bar instrumental

Warm summer days, we watched the waves
Roll into the Bay of Tralee
And now those waves are bringing me home
To Ireland and, hopefully, thee.

(chorus)
Now the Hills of Killarney are a sight to behold
And Tralee is most dear to my heart
But I'd trade them right now to be with you again
And hear you say, hear you say,
hear you say we'll never part

Copyright © 2020 all rights reserved

Brian, this is a cracker of a song. LOVE it to bits. Everything about this floats my boat, really bonnie song. Please post more

Yes, you grew those roots with tasty fruit here, Brian. Love the lilting piccolo. Really wonderful mix of all the right stuff.

This is fantastic. An outstanding vocal with heartfelt lyrics and the most perfect backing tracks.

You have this genre down perfectly.

Loved this one!

Pro sounding all the way. I listen to a lot of Celtic music, this fits right in.

I love it. What a gem. Authentic and beautiful. Great job. So well written too.

Thanks, Graham. Glad you liked it. I have 3 more quasi-Celtic tunes ready to roll but still looking for stories to match.

Thanks, Marty

Thanks, Tunemonger. I draw most of my Celtic inspiration from the Irish-Norwegian duo Secret Garden. Other influences include groups such as Celtic Woman, Celtic Thunder and the musical "Riverdance."

Thanks, jptjptjpt (hope I spelled your name correctly - the absence of vowels confuses me sometimes)

I'm not in a position to say if it's anything close to authentic or not, but it works for me!

Pleasant melody, well sung, clear mix and interesting arrangement. All in all, an enjoyable 4:18 spent.

I'm relying on the maxim "If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and walks like a duck..." etc. (not to mention a 45% Irish contribution to my DNA - so I won't mention that).

45% or what, you have it down to perfection, Ghostgum.
Especially the soothing vocal style. I take it the
era is the mid 1800's ?

Wow. Reminiscent of many of the Irish folk songs I've heard. Sounds like a song The Kilkennys might cover. Lovely vocal.

Thanks, Ed.

You're spot on with the date. Van Dieman's Land was named after the governor of the Dutch East Indies by Abel Tasman, the first European to see it in 1642.
Formerly under the jurisdiction of the British colony of New South Wales, it became a self-governing state in the mid 1850s and was renamed Tasmania.
After the infamous Boston Tea Party and humiliating loss to the Colonists in the ensuing War of Independence, the British needed another large area to park their ever-growing population of criminals. Captain James Cook, and his timely discovery of Botany Bay, saved the day.
In all, 160,000 prisoners (men, women, and children) were sent to Australia. 73,000 of these were sent to Van Dieman's Land between 1803 and 1868.
One of these was my wife's GGG-grandfather, who arrived in 1830. This Englishman was convicted of stealing a jacket and two coats. The original death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment providing he agreed to transportation. He served 14 years and, upon release, became a model citizen of the new colony.

Ireland's Great Famine lasted from 1845-49.

A well written song and excellent vocal, worthy of your Irish roots.

As a young man I cycled around the Ring of Kerry. Such a beautiful part of the world.

I've also a little Irish in my ancestry and love the music. The likes of the Chieftains, Planxty, Dolores and Sean Keane, Mick Moloney, Robbie O'Connell and Jimmy Keane, etc have given me a huge amount of pleasure over the years.

Your song prompted me to listen once again to Keane, Moloney and O'Connell's version of 'Kilkelly Ireland', IMHO one of the saddest and at the same time most beautiful songs ever recorded.

Kind regards and stay safe,
Leon

Hi Leon,

Thanks for the info. I had not heard of Kilkenny, Ireland before and, as you say, it's hauntingly beautiful. Prefer O'Connell's version to Keane's.