Auld Triangle

First popularized in the 1954 Irish play The Quare Fellow, this song is often credited to playwright Brendan Behan; however, Behan appears to have disclaimed authorship of the song; the actual songwriter seems instead to have been a friend of his, one Dicky Shannon, of Dublin, Ireland.^[1] The play takes place in Mountjoy Prison, where Behan had been an inmate, and which is located on the bank of the Royal Canal in Dublin. It deals with moral issues of capital punishment and homosexuality, which under Irish law in the 1950s was a crime often met with the death penalty (though it is worth noting that "Quare" in the title, a Hiberno-English pronunciation of "queer", does not connote homosexuality in this context; the titular "Fellow" is sentenced to death for murder. The gay character in the play is referred to as "The Other Fellow").^[2]

The song's popularity has grown even outside the context of the play; it has been performed by numerous artists and become a staple in the folk music community. The Johns' version has not appeared on an album, but they did release a music video for it on 11 September 2019.

Factoids

Screw is slang for a prison guard.

Lag refers to a prisoner with a sentence greater than 5 years.

The auld triangle refers to a large metal triangle that was beaten with a hammer to mark time throughout the day, such as for mealtimes and lights out.^[3]

Lyrics

These lyrics are based on the version performed by the Longest Johns in their livestreams; the original lyrics can be found here.

A hungry feeling, it came o'er me stealing
And the mice they were squealing in my prison cell

{Chorus}
And the auld triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal

To begin the morning, the warden was bawling:
"Get up out'a bed, boy, and clean up your cell!"

{Chorus}

Well the screw was peeping and the lag lay sleeping
as I was weepin' for my gal, Sal

{Chorus}

In the female prison there are seventeen women,
And I wish to God it was with them that I did dwell

{Chorus}

On a fine spring evenin', the lag lay dreaming,
and the seagulls are wheelin' high above the wall

{Chorus }

All along the banks of the Royal Canal

Recordings

Streaming/Purchase

Youtube Videos

Gig Videos

Full Band Streams

Chill Streams

Gaming Streams

[1] ttps://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=22222#3379715

[2] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quare_Fellow#Name

[3] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Auld_Triangle

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