Hello, everybody.
Bernie asked me if I could think of a 'teaser' to liven up our Forum. Well, I couldn't think of anything that would really challenge the experts, but I have a question for you all, something that's puzzled me for months.
In "Forty Shades of Green" Ruby seems to sing "and the folks at Skipperee", while the name is spelled 'Skibbereen'. Is the city's name pronounced 'Skipperee' in spite of the spelling? Let's have some explanations.
Cheers to you all.
Ralph
No 'teaser', just a question
Hello Ralph, does this help you.
Skibbereen, located on the River Ilen, has a troubled past. It was founded by English settlers after nearby Baltimore was sacked by Algerian Pirates in 1631.
In the 19th century the town was one of the hardest hit by the potato famine. The mass graves from that era can still be seen at the local cemetery. Local shops sell The Skibbereen Trail which guides you around nearby sites with links to the Famine. Locals sing a song that recount those times, its called Dear Old Skibbereen. Beware, it's a tear jerker.
The Southern Star is a weekly newspaper that is printed in Skibbereen. Originally called the Skibbereen Eagle, it was famous in the last century as the paper which "kept its eye on the Russian Czar". It was censored during the War of Independence for its strong republican views.
Today, Skibbereen's fortunes have taken a turn for the better and it is now considered the luckiest town in Ireland for winning the Lotto. In summer time its a bustling place and it is one of the main towns on the West Cork tourist trail.
On Wednesday there is a cattle mart and here is chance to see agricultural Ireland almost unchanged from the way it was in bygone days. On a Friday there is a Country Market, on Saturday a Farmers' Market and here you can purchase home baked items such as jam, biscuits, soda breads, pies and organic produce grown on local farms.
There are a number of restaurants serving wholesome country food and a wide variety of places in which to stay and eat.
Song Lyrics
I close my eyes and picture the emerald of the sea
From the fishing boats at Dingle to the shores of Dunardee
I miss the river Shannon and the folks at Skibbereen
The moorlands and the midlands with their forty shades of green.
But most of all I miss a girl in Tipperary town
And most of all I miss her lips as soft as eiderdown
Again I want to see and do the things we've done and seen
Where the breeze as sweet as Shalimar there's forty shades of green
I wish that I could spend an hour at Dublin's churning surf
I'd love to watch the farmers drain the bogs and spade the turf
To see again the thatching of the straw the women glean
I'd walk from Cork to Larne to see the forty shades of green.
But most of all I miss a girl in Tipperary town
And most of all I miss her lips as soft as eiderdown
Again I want to see and do the things we've done and seen
Where the breeze as sweet as Shalimar there's forty shades of green...
Skibbereen, located on the River Ilen, has a troubled past. It was founded by English settlers after nearby Baltimore was sacked by Algerian Pirates in 1631.
In the 19th century the town was one of the hardest hit by the potato famine. The mass graves from that era can still be seen at the local cemetery. Local shops sell The Skibbereen Trail which guides you around nearby sites with links to the Famine. Locals sing a song that recount those times, its called Dear Old Skibbereen. Beware, it's a tear jerker.
The Southern Star is a weekly newspaper that is printed in Skibbereen. Originally called the Skibbereen Eagle, it was famous in the last century as the paper which "kept its eye on the Russian Czar". It was censored during the War of Independence for its strong republican views.
Today, Skibbereen's fortunes have taken a turn for the better and it is now considered the luckiest town in Ireland for winning the Lotto. In summer time its a bustling place and it is one of the main towns on the West Cork tourist trail.
On Wednesday there is a cattle mart and here is chance to see agricultural Ireland almost unchanged from the way it was in bygone days. On a Friday there is a Country Market, on Saturday a Farmers' Market and here you can purchase home baked items such as jam, biscuits, soda breads, pies and organic produce grown on local farms.
There are a number of restaurants serving wholesome country food and a wide variety of places in which to stay and eat.
Song Lyrics
I close my eyes and picture the emerald of the sea
From the fishing boats at Dingle to the shores of Dunardee
I miss the river Shannon and the folks at Skibbereen
The moorlands and the midlands with their forty shades of green.
But most of all I miss a girl in Tipperary town
And most of all I miss her lips as soft as eiderdown
Again I want to see and do the things we've done and seen
Where the breeze as sweet as Shalimar there's forty shades of green
I wish that I could spend an hour at Dublin's churning surf
I'd love to watch the farmers drain the bogs and spade the turf
To see again the thatching of the straw the women glean
I'd walk from Cork to Larne to see the forty shades of green.
But most of all I miss a girl in Tipperary town
And most of all I miss her lips as soft as eiderdown
Again I want to see and do the things we've done and seen
Where the breeze as sweet as Shalimar there's forty shades of green...
Regards
John.
John.
-
Bernie Burgess
- Posts: 1051
- Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2005 12:45 am
- Location: Sutton Coldfield
Post Subject
Hello Friends,
Can I offer Ralph a thought about the Skipperee question. In my opinion it should be SkippereeN simply because it should rhyme with "40 shades of greeN" However, it does sound as though Ruby doesn't fully pronounce the N on the end.
Here is a thought - When recording in the studio AT THAT TIME, there were some letters that had to be soft i.e. 'P's 'B's and 'T's etc. because they caused 'popping' on the microphones. Ruby was very conscious of the need not to 'Pop' and tended to soften the ends of words, perhaps this was one of those times, even though an N would in fact not cause a 'Pop'. - Maybe????
Adios Amigos. Bernie.
Can I offer Ralph a thought about the Skipperee question. In my opinion it should be SkippereeN simply because it should rhyme with "40 shades of greeN" However, it does sound as though Ruby doesn't fully pronounce the N on the end.
Here is a thought - When recording in the studio AT THAT TIME, there were some letters that had to be soft i.e. 'P's 'B's and 'T's etc. because they caused 'popping' on the microphones. Ruby was very conscious of the need not to 'Pop' and tended to soften the ends of words, perhaps this was one of those times, even though an N would in fact not cause a 'Pop'. - Maybe????
Adios Amigos. Bernie.