The Folk Tale of Christy Moore Quiz

Answer: No divorce

The song, "Tyrone Boys", is a little trip around the island of Ireland. The first verse takes us to Granuaile, Grunard and Tralee. Then we get to:

"Graffiti on the wall of the schoolyard. Says: 'No divorce where children play.'
Hear the little Sisters of Mercy invoke the wrath of God on polling day".

To me, these two lines are illustrating the hold the Catholic church used to have on the Irish Republic.

Then we have a verse about Pope John Paul visiting Ireland, including singing priests, idolising clergy and frightened women. The last of these appears to be a reference to prostitutes being cleared out of the area set aside for the outdoor Papal Mass. This may well have been sited in one of Dublin's former red-light districts. However research shows that the red-light areas of Dublin such as the Montgomery Diamond were cleaned up many years before the Papal visit.

Answer: Truth

The first line here, tells us that "A young man fell in love with truth". He finds her and she is old but he tells her she is beautiful. He pledges himself to her but eventually decides that he needs to be released from his pledge. This is permitted, as long as he tells the world the she is young and beautiful.

This is a contrast to older songs where the man meets an old hag and is scared but by being compliant finds that the woman becomes beautiful the next morning. The song "Prince Henry" recorded by Steeleye Span on the album "Below the Salt" is an example of this.

The words to this song are from a poem by Paula Meehan, the tune has been added by Christy Moore.

Answer: Brake cable

The answer is found at the start of the third verse:

"I drove her into Newbridge lookin' for a couple of parts
Alloy wheels, a sat-nav and a new push button start"

No mention of a brake cable in that list.

This little ditty is about a souped-up motorbike. I have to assume it is more powerful than normal as the words tell us that "She'll do a hundred and fifty on a windy day". Further on we hear that the bike hit a hundred downhill while still in second gear. Then the police pulled in behind but with his high speed Honda, he escapes their clutches.
"By the time the squad hit Brookets Cross I had her parked in Brady's Yard"

Answer: Seamus

The song was written by Christy in tribute of a friend of his, Seamus Ennis. According to the lyrics booklet, "Easter Snow" was the name of both a tune Seamus used to frequently play and of his house.
Without knowing this the answer can be found in the lyrics:

"Listening to The Piper's notes, as gently they did fall
Oh the music when Seamus he did play"

The song also mentions "The Naul", for those who don't know (such as me), this is a village in County Dublin and is where Seamus lived his last years.

Answer: As King Saul

A story of a farmer who claims to have been willing to pay his taxes, rent and rates but was evicted by his landlord. So he shot him. The song then follows his escape route around Ireland before emigrating to America.

It does seem unlikely that anyone is willing to pay their taxes; reluctance is the normal inclination. The song reckons otherwise, and then goes on to say;
"I lived as happy as King Saul and loved me neighbours one and all".
Which provides the required answer.

Answer: The tide

This song was written by a Lancastrian, Kevin Littlewood, in response to the 2004 tragedy when more than 20 Chinese cockle pickers were drowned by the incoming tide. The dangers of the sands of Morecambe Bay are well documented and since this isn't a geography quiz I will not dwell on them here.
Suffice to say the chorus of the song describes the situation well.

"For the tide is The Devil, it will run you out of breath
Race you to the seashore, chase you to your death
The tide is the very Devil and the Devil has its day
On the lonely cockle banks of Morecambe Bay"

Answer: The Mestizo

Another song inspired by tragedy, this time the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The first verse runs:
"Haiti was born, The Calabash was broken
The waters of the world flowed down the mountain
From the sacred caves came the Mestizo
Island people of the Arawak Taino"

The song was written by Christie Moore and John Spillaine within the space of a fortnight of the disaster. The lyrics booklet informs us that the first performance was at a benefit concert shortly afterwards in Dublin.

Answer: Redundancy

Straight from the opening line: "When we got our redundancy, myself and the lads went on a spree". A touching tale of a few men having a weekend in Amsterdam, with visits to the coffee shops that sell far stronger things than coffee and the red-light district. Eventually they jump into a canal before being sent on their way back to Ireland.

"Monday morning, we were all half cracked we dived into the Kaisergracht
They fished us out, hosed us down and put us on the plane to Dublin"

Answer: Spring water

Despite the singer wandering through an area where "apples are pressed into wine", he drinks nothing stronger than spring water.

"I drank from the well of spring water, breathing in deep the fresh air"
But then he takes a rest.
"I lay down in a meadow of wild flower and dreamt a mysterious dream".

The dream takes the form of an eviction, but the eviction of life from the place. No bailiffs but a colourless vapour on the wind.

A song written by Christy Moore, it can be seen as a song of environmental concern, against airborne poisons but that is only my interpretation, I have found nothing to confirm this.

Answer: Beehive

After she created the world, God Woman created man; "Takin' a bone from her ribcage she carved a fine cut of a man". Sets him on earth, in Ireland; "in where the Seven Springs flow into the Pollardstown Fen". Then she sends him forth, starting; "in the Yellow Bog".

This appears to be a truncated version of creation as other people exist. But the man is lonely; "All he had for company was altar boys and sheep". Then he meets a woman who teaches him about love.

Then finally:
"They danced and danced to the music, to the sound of the Angelus bell
They boogied and jived around the beehive as they danced between Heaven and Hell"

This might be a beehive full of honey makers or the beehive cell that he had previously built at the start of verse 2.