Last Viewed Music Blogs (1,259)

The lyrics of the song “Danny Boy” were written by an English lawyer Frederic Weatherly in 1910. The melody or tune, however, existed centuries before as an old Irish air.

“Ayre, also spelled air, genre of solo song with lute accompaniment that flourished in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Weatherly modified his lyrics to fit the rhyme and metre of this air which was named Londonderry Air in 1894 by Katherine Tynan Hinkson who set the words of her “Irish Love Song” to it.

Irish Love Song

Would God I were the tender apple blossom
That floats and falls from off the twisted bough
To lie and faint within your silken bosom
Within your silken bosom as that does now.
Or would I were a little burnish'd apple
For you to pluck me, gliding by so cold,
While sun and shade your robe of lawn will dapple,
Your robe of lawn and your hair of spun gold.


Londonderry Air

The original air is believed to date back to Rory Dall O'Cahan, a blind Irish harpist who lived in Scotland in the late 17th century.
Folk legend says that Rory, having collapsed drunk one night by the riverside, heard fairies performing a melody on his harp. He then performed the tune as O'Cahan's Lament.


It originated from County Londonderry in Ireland (now in Northern Ireland).
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire (Modern Irish Doire), meaning "oak-grove" or "oak-wood".
As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form "Londonderry" generally preferred by unionists and "Derry" by nationalists. British authorities use the name "Londonderry", while "Derry" is used by the Republic of Ireland.





Here is a harp version of the air, probably similar to that played by Rory Dall O'Cahan:




Although I have never been to Ireland and it is unlikely that I ever will, “Danny Boy” holds a very special place in my heart because of the sheer impact of its enchanting melody. Listening to it on the radio as a boy was an experience that captivated my attention and virtually took me to the scene where I could hear the haunting sound of the pipes calling in the glens and down the mountainsides.

My favourite version of it is one in which the focus is on the intonation and nuances of the singer's voice and not on any musical accompaniment.

It has been recorded by multiple artistes.

My favourite version by a male singer is by Johnny Mathis:




My favourite version by a female singer is by Deanna Durbin:




What is the original message and meaning of song?
Here are some meanings attributed to it:
–a parent sending a son off to war
–a mother/father saying goodbye to a son
–a girl saying goodbye to her sweetheart

What are your thoughts on “Danny Boy”?

Do you have a favourite singer's version of it?
Please share it with others by posting the video.
Or just state the singer. Others can post the video for you.

I welcome input, particularly from our Irish friends, of any additional information, including historical details, re “Danny Boy”.

I just heard on Tim Poole, with a musical guest on his show that music is tuned at 440 hertz, up from the standard 432 hertz it was for many years.

This minor change in these hertz cannot even be heard...but Poole's musical guest said, it is felt.


Vibration....affecting human behavior.

I know that 528 hertz is used in meditation for emotional healing. I wonder what 440 hertz does.
I also know that certain hertz played in one's ears back and forth facilitates with astral projecting.

Goodbye to lovin'

My love
Your love
Has opened up a world I've never known
All hope
Was found
A place I never dreamed I would go
Feels like only yesterday
I had locked my heart away
Safe behind a castle of stone
Sure I'd always be alone
Only you know how
To hear me through the silence
You reach a part of me that no one else can see
Forever true there's only me and only you
Only me and you

In your faith I trust
With you beside me I am standing strongTwo hearts
You took my life and made it beautiful
So you dared to let me shine
Even walk a step behind
Willingly you give yourself to me
Knowing who I was born to be
Only you know how
To hear me through the silence
You reach a part of me that no one else can see
Forever true there's only me and only you
Only me and you

Only you know how
To hear me through the silence
You reach a part of me that no one else can see
Forever true there's only me and only you
Only me and you

What Will I Do

What would you do,...............?