Not that any of these issues have done much to affect the popularity of Carrickfergus. Whether the O’Toole link to its discovery is right or not, it seems likely that what has now become the generally accepted lyric is in fact an inaccurate recollection of a fuller and more consistent earlier version. Carrickfergus – a great but incomplete songĬarrickfergus is a great but possibly incomplete song.
These appear as disconnected thoughts and may be a truncated version of an earlier, longer lyric. The song then takes a dramatic shift in mood as we discover that the singer is seldom sober and believes that his days are numbered and he hasn’t long to live. The third and final verse refers to marble stones in Kilkenny, supporting his love with gold and silver before suddenly announcing that the singer will perform no more until he gets a drink. These inconsistencies are particularly marked in the third verse. On the contrary, his claim is supported by the fact that the second verse is consistent and contains none of the anomalies of the other two verses which may have been modified over hundreds of years. Behan claimed to have written the second verse and there is no reason to doubt him.
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