The Rocky Road to Dublin: A Short Guide

When I was a little girl growing up in Ireland, we often said we were on the 'rocky road to Dublin' anytime we were heading home from a trip down the country.

Our inspiration for our phrase came from an old Irish folksong, called "The Rocky Road to Dublin."

This old song reminds me of my childhood days.

Springtime - A Time for Singing Irish Songs

I don’t know about you, but where I live, warm spring-like weather is starting to peek out, the trees are beginning to grow new leaves, green grass is popping up, and it’s obvious that spring is on its way!

Spring is the PERFECT time to learn some new Irish tunes and dances for a few reasons. For one, Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. If you’ll be hosting or attending a Saint Patrick’s Day party or Irish heritage festival, there might be a good chance for you to show off some traditional Irish songs and dances as a reminder of your family’s culture.

In addition, the rousing melodies of traditional Irish music carry the emotions of growth, new birth, excitement, and warmth, which are integral aspects of spring, which makes this the ideal time to learn them. They’re perfect for parties and dancing, and this is the perfect season to learn them for your spring and summer cultural celebrations.

One popular traditional Irish folk song is “The Rocky Road to Dublin.” This would be an amazing spring-like song to learn and teach to your kids to revive and enjoy your culture together. If you’re familiar with any Irish dance moves, you can add those in as well!

History of “The Rocky Road to Dublin”

The lyrics of this song were written in the 1800’s by a man named D.K. Gavan for a singer named Harry Clifton to perform. D.K. Gavan, the writer of the song, was known as “The Galway Poet”, and he wrote this epic song as a folk story about an Irish man who went from Tuam to Dublin to earn money.

Since that historic moment, there have been 33 recorded renditions where artists have put their own spins on the song. You might be familiar with the recordings by The Dubliners, The High Kings, or Celtic Thunder. Breathing new life into these old Irish melodies is an awesome way to celebrate our heritage.

Features of the Song

As I’ve discussed in previous posts about Irish dancing, Irish music links the time signature of songs to the type of dance they’re performed to. If you know anything about the link between music and dancing in other cultures, you might already have an understanding of this. 

For example, it’s common knowledge that a waltz is both a form of dance and a certain type of music that is always written in ¾ timing. The same mentality applies to types of Irish music and dance. “The Rocky Road to Dublin” is in 9/8 time signature, which makes it a slip jig.

Slip jigs are one of the most popular forms of dance performed at Irish dance competitions, next to the hornpipe, the jig, and the reel. The slip jig is known as “the ballet of Irish dance.” It is a very elegant soft shoe dance where the dancers keep their heels high. If you know how to dance slip jigs, you could perform one to “The Rocky Road to Dublin.”

A Documentary Film

In 1967 an Irish born journalist named Peter Lennon made a documentary film called the Rocky Road. The name was inspired by this old Irish song. While working as a reporter in Paris for the Guarian he admired new wave French films. Working with French cameraman, Raoul Coutard, he traveled to Dublin to film what life was like in Dublin at the time.

The film was an angry yet compassionate look at an evolving country. It was the last film shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1968, before the festival was shut down due to student riots in France.

Full Lyrics of Rocky Road To Dublin

Here you'll find the complete lyrics for the song which are now in the public domain, since the song was written well over one hundred years ago.

You can listen to The High Kings performing this old song right here...

-D.K. Gavan

The Story of the Lyrics

“The Rocky Road to Dublin” tells the story of an Irish man leaving his hometown of Tuam in the county of Galway in Ireland to go to Dublin to make money. It is the classic story of someone departing from where they were born to see the world for themselves.

Along the way, he is met with many challenges, like the stress of leaving his family and friends back home, getting robbed, having to ride with the pigs on the boat, and being mocked by others. This is what the word “rocky” signifies in the title of the song.

Along the way, he relies on the strength and joy he derives from having a few drinks, and meeting a few lassies along the way. The end of the song leaves him in a happy place after the difficulty of all his travel. He is attacked in Liverpool, but a group of fellow Galwegians come to his aid. Irish people always band together to help each other out.

If you learn this song as a springtime activity, please let me know! I’d love to see your renditions of singing and dancing to the song, no matter what adaptation you base it off of.

Feel free to share your results for a chance to be featured on my blog!

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