Molly Malone

Song Information

Composer: Traditional

Lyric Author: Traditional

Published: Late 19th Century

Country of origin: Ireland

General Interest

Although this song has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin, the first recorded incidence of this song was in 1876, in Boston, Massachusetts. Some sources claim it was written by James Yorkston, of Edinburgh, with music arranged by Edmund Forman, but there's little supporting evidence.

The song tells the fictional tale of a fishmonger who plied her trade on the streets of Dublin, but who died young, of a fever. There’s now a bronze statue of Molly in Dublin’s Grafton Street, where tourists have taken liberties with her to the extent her bosom is polished metal...

Here's a link to the Lyric:

Molly Malone Lyric

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