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The Hills Above the Valley

by Barry Kinane

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1.
Cockahoof 02:58
COCK A HOOF Balfe the robber was a gentleman so the story goes A highway man from Ballyknockan in the finest clothes He shod his horse in reverse to cover up his trail So they called him "Cock a Hoof" and a legend he became One evening at a house dance in the village of the stone He danced a jig, excused himself, left the house alone He made his way by horseback to the borders of Carlow where he went to rob and steal like many times before THUNDER BOLT AND LIGHTNING A HIGHWAYMAN RIDES BY COCK A HOOF COCK A HOOF WHERE DOES YOUR FORTUNE LIE? He came upon a manor house in the black of night Where all the doors and windows were locked and sealed so tight He climbed upon a ladder and smashed a pane of glass And demanded to the lady for all her gold to pass She went to hand it over and took his arm down on the glass He fell back from the window and lay wounded on the grass He wrapped a scarf around his arm and rode into the night And back to Ballyknockan before the morning light THUNDER BOLT AND LIGHTNING A HIGHWAYMAN RIDES BY COCK A HOOF COCK A HOOF WHERE DOES YOUR FORTUNE LIE? The lady from the manor called the forces of the crown And then there were rumours heard around the town The law closed in on Balfe at an ambush at Woodend where he was arrested to the jail house he was sent They saw the wound on his arm and there they had the proof They sentenced him to hang and that was the end for Cock a Hoof On his way to the gallows he declared he hid his gold Whoever found his bank would never want again he told THUNDER BOLT AND LIGHTNING A HIGHWAYMAN RIDES BY COCK A HOOF COCK A HOOF WHERE DOES YOUR FORTUNE LIE?
2.
Ballinahown 02:56
BALLINAHOWN I lived by the river my family and me Kept a few cattle and worked in the fields one day bad news came from ESB A Dammed reservoir for electricity I remember the day my eye filled with tears For the memories I had there over the years As the water came closer I gathered my things I left with my pony and trap for the hills They flooded the valley in Ballinahown and if you weren't quick you surely would drown the ghosts of the village lie under the lake and rest there for ever in a watery grave An old stone cottage became my adobe In Ballinastockan just up the road I spent hard years cutting rock in the Quarry and for the loss of my home still I am sorry And when I look upon the lake Its beauty eludes me I know its man made Memories haunt me draw tears from my eyes the day my home vanished as the water did rise They flooded the valley in Ballinahown and if you weren't quick you surely would drown the ghosts of the village lie under the lake and rest there for ever in a watery grave
3.
WHERE THE BROOK WATERS FLOW Where autumn trees shed their leaves And winter winds did blow Spring lambs played in fields summers would come and summers would go Biddy McEvoy lived her life Where the brook waters flow Below the village on the Killough bog In the June of Thirty Two Biddy and her family cut the turf Every summer as they'd always do but one fateful day still resonates Where the brook waters flow Into the bog Biddy fell and drowned No one heard the sound Across the Killough her fathers cry Oh God oh no Oh God O why Beautiful Biddy just twenty two Where the brook waters flow One hundred men from the quarry came, They dropped their tools and prayed The back of a door Biddy was laid To carry her home, they carried the weight from that day on, their lives were shook Where the brook waters flow A Eucharistic medal placed in her palm Her father left a broken man In the shadow of the hill time stood still Where the brook waters flow The autumn trees will shed their leaves And the winter winds will blow Spring lambs will play in fields Summers will come and summers will go All that will be are the memories Where the brook waters flow
4.
Mary 02:42
MARY It was on one sunny daffodil day Right about the beginning of May Kickin back a ball I heard Mary say Come on children its time to pray Well I tried to hide but it was too late 'twas broad daylight at half past eight She said come on child make some haste We havent got any time to waste We formed a circle went down on our knees She took from her pocket red rosary beads She said be quiet now children please Then rattled off four mysteries We prayed for the sick we prayed for the poor We prayed for the sun and the moon Im sure And every other day for the month of May I heard Mary call when I was out to play Mary's intentions were always good An upstanding woman in the neighbourhood She lived her life by the book Gave it up to the Lord above But for all the prayin i couldn't find God The men of the cloth for me so flawed But for all the Mary's i do applaud For they are the ones that do know God No souls were lost no souls were saved That was long ago and times have changed Looking back now it seems so strange Some carry the cross some carry the nails
5.
His head held high on the way to the pub where craic was had and beer was good with tales of wit and songs so gritty he welcomed one and all to the granite city with a Mouse in the house a Carty and a Mac a bunch of auld ones having the craic a piper and a painter, a maker and a faker all together to drink the cratur All together into the night the whiskey flowed til it was light All together into the night much to Mrs O's delight He made a sermon of an old saying with open arms like he was praying he spat on his hands, rubbed them together fingers all yellow like the hay in the meadow Talked of the day and the change in the weather What could be done had it only been better a simple man but he sure was clever and birds of a feather they'd flock together with the Doc on the mic a priest on a bike a bunch a young hippies high as a kite a farmers wife, the talk was rife, all together into the night All together into the night the whiskey flowed until it was light all together into the night much to Mrs O's delight
6.
THE BALLYKNOCKAN BAND Back in the late nineteenth century the Wicklow hills was the place to be the Ballyknockan band could be heard everywhere Music in the mountains music in the air Day by day they cut the rock Blew the brass when the work had stopped Rehearsed in the hall when the work was done Tradition passed from father to son The Ballyknockan band could be heard everywhere Music in the mountains music in the air Crowds came for miles to listen to the band They were the pride of the quarry land Down at the dance in the Barn Cinema Stepping it around a-rata ta ta The Ballyknockan band could be heard everywhere Music in the mountains music in the air They entertained at the parish fair Here there yonder everywhere The band that was born on the side of the hill The legacy of music lingers still Now in the 21st century The Wicklow hills is the place to be The ballyknockan bands can be heard everywhere Music in the mountains music in the air
7.
MADONNA AND THE LION On its watch on the way to the Quarry The granite Stormont Lion Cut long ago with care and pride but flawed by a wrong design A beautiful mistake made by men It will stand for a very long time Watching over the flooded valley Stands the Madonna and Child A statue cut with care and pride but flawed by a wrong design A beautiful mistake made by men It will stand for a very long time Watching along the ways of the village a pattern of granite walls Built long ago with care and pride but they can never hide Structures built that just dont rhyme That will stand for a very long time The Lion sighs, Madonna cries For the changes in the village below The men who died and worked with pride They stood there by their side To remind them the mistakes men make Can last for a very long time
8.
A STONECUTTERS JOURNEY I spent my youth in the quarries working stone where the cold would cut you right down to the bone I learned my trade in the stone cutters shed along with my father and my grandfather Ned I worked in the quarry after I went to school Then I left West Wicklow for lonely Liverpool To clad the cathedral with the finest Wicklow rock Thats was taken in blocks from ships at the dock A STONE CUTTERS JOURNEY IT WAS FOR ME A STONE CUTTERS LIFE IT WILL ALWAYS BE It was in Liverpool that I met my sweetheart When the work dried up I thought we'd depart she pleaded with her father but he just said no when I ran out of money I knew I had to go We sent many letters as the months passed by but as soon they stopped I had to know why So I bought me a ticket and I set off to sea To the place I knew where my sweetheart to be When I knocked on the door on Mulberry street my sweetheart standing with a child at her feet she said she had fallen for the charms of another So I bid her farewell and back to work with my brother I lived my days in a cottage made of stone worked with my hands right down to the bone I lived for my trade in the stone cutters shed where I learned how to craft from my grandfather Ned
9.
BIDDY MULVEY AND THE LANDGRABBER Down the bog road in Ballyknockan The ruins of a cottage almost forgotten Where on a dark day, in eighteen 88 History was made at Biddy Mulveys gate Between those four walls her life she had spent before she was widowed and hadn't the rent the landgrabber and some men from the town came in the night and tore the roof down A crowd gathered round and watched in dismay on a cold winter morning on their way to pray To hell with the grabber came a voice in the crowd The people were strong and the people were proud Every man able had come to the call Mending the roof before the night fall The landgrabber raged when the word got around He returned with his sons and tore the house down The men built it up again overnight With power of the pen they launched a new fight They found a loophole in law of the land The grabbers withdrawl was their demand God save Ireland they shouted with joy the landgrabber defeated by their ploy "Conquering hero" was played by the band As they brought Biddy Mulvey back to her land Down the bog road in Ballyknockan The ruins of a cottage almost forgotten Where on a great day, in eightteen 88 The Grabber defeated at Biddy Mulveys gate
10.
THE HILLS ABOVE THE VALLEY From the hills above the valley I saw a promised land From the Hills above the valley I left to make my mark And many roads I travelled and found one to bring me home and Im contented here no longer will I roam from the hills above the valley I watch the sun go down From the hills above the valley I see my resting place Now life's been good to me and the end will soon be near So I bid you all farewell and to my Wicklow hills so dear

about

Review from Irish Music Magazine

BARRY KINANE

The Hills Above the Valley

Own Label 2015, 10 Tracks, 31 Minutes

www.batkinanemusic.com

Barry is a new name to me and based on this release I hope he will not be a stranger to my music deck. The album gives little information on him or his label but he is well–worth seeking out. He takes the life and lore of his locality in Wicklow and weaves a social history that would be the pride of any locality for centuries.
The opening track Where The Brook Waters Flow had me captivated immediately both in the singing and in story. Kinane has a rare gift of taking the stories of life and relatively recent history to weave magical musical tales that are like short stories of the highest quality.

I defy anyone to listen to Mary and not recognise your own lifetime people, places and events. Barry not only draws us back into a magical tale but he makes it wonderfully listenable.

The Ballyknockan Band is another hypnotic track that gives us local history in rhyme and music. I particularly liked the musical outro. You will go many a mile to hear a song better than Mrs O’s Delight with its story and delivery.The album closes with the title track and while enjoying it immensely I was sad that I had come to the end of my first listen to a gem of a CD. With my love of social history I could rave about this album for days with its combination of storytelling and addictive tunes. All I can really say is that if you love life, people, history and good music get out there and find your own copy cos you are not getting mine.

Nicky Rossiter

credits

released May 19, 2017

Vocals and Guitar - Barry Kinane
Mandolin, Fiddle, Banjo - Paul Kelly
Bass - John Treacy
Drums and Bodhran - Jim Hill
Fluegelhorn and Trumpet - Neasa Hill

Recorded and produced by Barry Kinane

All words and music Barry Kinane except The Ballyknockan Band Reel music Paul Kelly

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Barry Kinane

Singer Songwriter from Co. Wicklow Ireland.“Kinane has a rare gift of taking the stories of life and relatively recent history to weave magical musical tales that are like short stories of the highest quality. I could rave about this album for days....” Nicky Rossiter Irish music magazine ... more

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