Maggie, from County Galway, recalls and sings a wide range of the old songs in these recordings with the SCC. She fondly talks about her life on the road. During these times, the main entertainment would be singing around the campfire, with a bit of tea boiled over the fire or other drinks. During this time, she would sell Ballad papers, including songs such as ‘Forty Shades of Green’. Maggie remembers learning the songs from her mother, father, uncles, brothers and sisters. She remembers her brother, Pat, singing ‘Fine Young Summer’s Morning’, which she also shared in this meeting with the SCC. Maggie recalls her sister singing the very old song, ‘Lord Bateman’, which she also sang for us. Whilst we recorded Maggie she sang her rendition of the potentially one-thousand year old song, ‘Son Come Tell it Unto Me’, passed down from her mother. Other renditions of songs she shared included Willy Leonard, including new verses we had not heard before. We spoke about how Maggie learnt songs by ear, and as people learnt songs through word of mouth the words of the songs changed over time. For Maggie, her favourite song she sang for us is the comical (and a little racy) ‘Once I was a Sporty Boy’.
Maggie comes from a family of singers, one of eleven siblings. She herself, has fourteen children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. For Maggie, it is very important that the old songs are passed down and that her family continue to sing them to keep the flame alight for the future generations.
