The Minstrel Boy: Thomas Moore and his Melodies.
Author: McMAHON, Sean.
Dublin: Mercier Press, 2001. 80 pages. Paperback.
Thomas Moore (1779-1852), the pocket-sized tenor who was the darling of aristocratic drawing rooms as he sang ‘the wild songs of his dear native plains’, was a true Irish patriot. A gifted poet whose first published work was a version of the erotic odes of Anacreon, he created lyrics that, matched to traditional Irish airs, made his name famous throughout the English-speaking world even in his own lifetime.
In spite of adulation from society hostesses, Moore never forgot his country. He taught the English that the despised Irish peasants came trailing clouds of glory and would one day have to be reckoned with. His Irish Melodies will never be forgotten, as, married so perfectly to their airs, they mark the beginnings of modern Irish nationalism.
This book offers a short, readable account of Moore’s life and includes the lyrics of a number of his Irish Melodies.
ISBN: 1856353508
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