Finnegan's Wake
Encyclopedia
"Finnegan's Wake" is a ballad
that arose in the 1850s in the music-hall tradition of comical Irish songs. The song is a staple of the Irish folk-music group, The Dubliners
, who have played it on many occasions and included it on several albums, and is especially well known to fans of The Clancy Brothers
, who have performed and recorded it with Tommy Makem
. The song has more recently been recorded by Irish-American Celtic punk
band Dropkick Murphys
.
Tim Finnegan, born "with a love for the liquor", falls from a ladder, breaks his skull
, and is thought to be dead. The mourners at his wake
become rowdy, and spill whiskey over Finnegan's corpse, causing him to come back to life and join in the celebrations. Whiskey causes both Finnegan's fall and his resurrection—whiskey is derived from the Irish
phrase uisce beatha
(ˈiʃkʲə ˈbʲahə), meaning "water of life".
's final work, Finnegans Wake
(1939), in which the comic resurrection of Tim Finnegan is employed as a symbol of the universal cycle of life. As whiskey, the "water of life", causes both Finnegan's death and resurrection in the ballad, so the word "wake" also represents both a passing (into death) and a rising (from sleep). Joyce removed the apostrophe
in the title of his novel in order to suggest an active process in which a multiplicity of "Finnegans", that is, all members of humanity, fall and then wake and arise.
"Finnegan's Wake" is also featured as the climax of the primary storyline in Philip José Farmer
's award-winning novella
, Riders of the Purple Wage
.
A scene very similar to that of Finnegan's Wake is present in The Shipping News
, when the character Jack Buggit is presumed to have drowned after being caught in the rope of a lobster pot, only for him to regain consciousness at his wake.
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
that arose in the 1850s in the music-hall tradition of comical Irish songs. The song is a staple of the Irish folk-music group, The Dubliners
The Dubliners
The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
, who have played it on many occasions and included it on several albums, and is especially well known to fans of The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music singing group, most popular in the 1960s, they were famed for their woolly Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularizing Irish traditional music in the United States. The brothers were Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Tom Clancy, Bobby Clancy...
, who have performed and recorded it with Tommy Makem
Tommy Makem
Thomas "Tommy" Makem was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone...
. The song has more recently been recorded by Irish-American Celtic punk
Celtic punk
Celtic punk is punk rock mixed with traditional Celtic music. The genre was founded in the 1980s by The Pogues, a band of punk musicians in London who celebrated their Irish heritage. Celtic punk bands often play covers of traditional Irish folk and political songs, as well as original compositions...
band Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....
.
Summary
In the ballad, the hod-carrierBrick hod
A brick hod is a three-sided box for carrying bricks or other construction materials, often mortar. It bears a long handle and is carried over the shoulder...
Tim Finnegan, born "with a love for the liquor", falls from a ladder, breaks his skull
Skull fracture
A skull fracture is a break in one or more of the bones in the skull usually occurring as a result of blunt force trauma. If the force of the impact is excessive the bone may fracture at or near the site of the impact...
, and is thought to be dead. The mourners at his wake
Wake (ceremony)
A wake is a ceremony associated with death. Traditionally, a wake takes place in the house of the deceased, with the body present; however, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home. In the United States and Canada it is synonymous with a viewing...
become rowdy, and spill whiskey over Finnegan's corpse, causing him to come back to life and join in the celebrations. Whiskey causes both Finnegan's fall and his resurrection—whiskey is derived from the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
phrase uisce beatha
Uisce Beatha
Uisce beatha is the name for whiskey in the Irish language. The word "whiskey" itself is simply an anglicized version of this phrase, stemming from a mispronunciation of the word uisce. This may in turn have influenced the Modern Irish word fuisce...
(ˈiʃkʲə ˈbʲahə), meaning "water of life".
Uncommon or non-standard English phrases and terms
- brogue (accent)
- hod (a tool to carry bricks in)
- tipplers way (a tippler is a drunkard)
- craythur (a craythur is a bowl to serve alcohol in, "a drop of the craythur" is an expression to have some whiskey)
- Whack fol the dah (non-lexical vocalsinging called "lilting"; see scat and mouth music)
- trotters (feet)
- full (drunk)
- mavourneen (my darling)
- hould your gob (shut-up)
- belt in the gob (punch in the face)
- Shillelagh law (a brawl)
- ruction(a fight)
- Bedad (an expression of shock)
- Thanam 'on dhoul (your soul to the devil)
Use in literature
"Finnegan's Wake" is famous for providing the basis of James JoyceJames Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
's final work, Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
(1939), in which the comic resurrection of Tim Finnegan is employed as a symbol of the universal cycle of life. As whiskey, the "water of life", causes both Finnegan's death and resurrection in the ballad, so the word "wake" also represents both a passing (into death) and a rising (from sleep). Joyce removed the apostrophe
Apostrophe
The apostrophe is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritic mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet or certain other alphabets...
in the title of his novel in order to suggest an active process in which a multiplicity of "Finnegans", that is, all members of humanity, fall and then wake and arise.
"Finnegan's Wake" is also featured as the climax of the primary storyline in Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
's award-winning novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
, Riders of the Purple Wage
Riders of the Purple Wage
Riders of the Purple Wage is a science fiction novella by Philip José Farmer. It appeared in Dangerous Visions, the famous New Wave science fiction anthology compiled by Harlan Ellison, in 1967, and won the Hugo Award for best novella in 1968, jointly with Weyr Search by Anne McCaffrey.-Title:The...
.
A scene very similar to that of Finnegan's Wake is present in The Shipping News
The Shipping News
The Shipping News is a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning novel by American writer E. Annie Proulx which was published in 1993. It was adapted into a film of the same name, released in 2001.-Plot summary:...
, when the character Jack Buggit is presumed to have drowned after being caught in the rope of a lobster pot, only for him to regain consciousness at his wake.
Recordings
- Brigid's Cross on their album Coolin' Out.
- The Clancy BrothersThe Clancy BrothersThe Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music singing group, most popular in the 1960s, they were famed for their woolly Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularizing Irish traditional music in the United States. The brothers were Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Tom Clancy, Bobby Clancy...
on their album Come Fill Your Glass with UsCome Fill Your Glass with UsCome Fill Your Glass with Us - Irish Songs of Drinking & Blackguarding is a collection of traditional Irish drinking songs performed by The Clancy Brothers with often time collaborator Tommy Makem...
. - The DublinersThe DublinersThe Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
on several live albums. - Dropkick MurphysDropkick MurphysDropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....
on their albums Do or Die and Live on St. Patrick's Day From Boston, MALive on St. Patrick's Day From Boston, MALive on St. Patrick's Day from Boston, MA is a live album from Boston punk band Dropkick Murphys. It was recorded over three shows at the Avalon Ballroom in, as the name implies, Boston, MA, and was released on September 10, 2002.-Track listing:...
. - Brobdingnagian BardsBrobdingnagian Bards-History:Marc Gunn, formerly of Austin Texas' alternative rock bands Skander and Breastfed, released a solo album featuring himself on autoharp and Andrew McKee on recorder in 1998...
on their album Songs of IrelandSongs of IrelandSongs of Ireland is an album by the Brobdingnagian Bards released on Saint Patrick's Day in 2002. Unlike the band's previous albums which featured songs of various Celtic origins, this album is a compilation of almost entirely Irish songs....
. - The TossersThe TossersThe Tossers are a six-piece Celtic punk band from Chicago, Illinois. They formed in July 1993. They have toured with Murphy's Law, Streetlight Manifesto, Catch 22, Dropkick Murphys, The Reverend Horton Heat, Flogging Molly, Street Dogs, Clutch, Sick of it All & Mastodon. They opened for The Pogues...
on their album Communication & Conviction: Last Seven YearsCommunication & Conviction: Last Seven YearsCommunication & Conviction: Last Seven Years is a compilation album by The Tossers. It was released in 2001 on Thick Records.- Track listing :# "Young Ned Of The Hill" - 2.33# "Maidrin Rua/Tell Me Ma" - 3.41# "Seven Drunken Nights" - 4.00...
. - Orthodox CeltsOrthodox CeltsOrthodox Celts is a Serbian band which plays Irish folk music combined with rock elements. Despite their unusual sound the band is one of the top acts of the Serbian rock scene and has influenced several younger bands, most notably Tir na n'Og and Irish Stew of Sindidun.The band started their...
on their album The Celts Strike AgainThe Celts Strike AgainThe Celts Strike Again is the second studio album by the Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Orthodox Celts released in 1997. Besides covers of traditional Irish songs, the album features two songs written by the members of the band, "Drinking Song" and "Blue"....
. - Darby O'GillDarby O'GillDarby O'Gill is a fictional Irishman who appears in the writings of the Irish-American author Herminie Templeton Kavanagh, including her books Darby O'Gill and the Good People and Ashes of Old Wishes and Other Darby O'Gill Tales .-Film:...
on their album Waitin' for a Ride. - Ryan's FancyRyan's FancyRyan’s Fancy was a musical group active from the 1960s until the 1980s, all three of whose members were Irish immigrants to Canada.-Early years:...
on their album Newfoundland Drinking SongsNewfoundland Drinking SongsNewfoundland Drinking Songs is an album by Ryan's Fancy released in 1973.-Track listing:#"Intro"#"The Night Paddy Murphy Died"#"Nancy Whiskey"#"Miss McLeod's Reel"#"The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen"#"Rocky Road To Dublin"#"I'm A Rover"...
. - Beatnik TurtleBeatnik TurtleBeatnik Turtle is an indie rock band from Chicago formed in 1998. Beatnik Turtle plays alternative and pop-rock "with a sense of humor." Their sound is rooted in the song-based pop-rock sound of They Might Be Giants, Fountains of Wayne, The Saw Doctors, Barenaked Ladies, Cracker, Cake, and The...
on their album Sham Rock - Celtic Connection on their album Celtic Connection
- Wylde Nept on their album Live in 3-D
- Irish Rovers
- Gael Sli on their album The Irish Century
- The Bloody Irish Boys on their album Drunk Rock
- Christy MooreChristy MooreChristopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
on his album The Box Set 1964-2004 - Shilelagh Law on their album Good Intentions
- Donut KingsDonut KingsDonut Kings is a U.S. rock band formed in 1986.-Band history:The Donut Kings formed in 1986 with Nate Crowell , Rikk Desgres , and Pat Butler . In the fall of that year they released First Bite, their first record. The band was based mixing straight ahead pop music, with the silly, comical, novelty...
on their single Donut Kings Pub With No BeerDonut Kings Pub With No BeerPub With No Beer is by the USA rock band Donut Kings, released under the Catseyesoup record label.Donut Kings have a history of playing and recording "beer songs." Their most popular beer song is the re-make of a re-make of sort's, the classic "In Heaven There is No Beer" Another popular tune... - Schooner FareSchooner FareSchooner Fare is a local Maine folk band, consisting of the late Tom Rowe , Steve Romanoff , and Chuck Romanoff . Schooner Fare plays primarily original maritime, socially conscious, and traditional folk music...
on their album Finnegan's Wake - Woods Tea Company on their album The Wood's Tea Co. - Live!
- Cutthroat Shamrock on their album Blood Rust Whiskey
- The Pubcrawlers on their album Another Night on the Floor
- 3 Pints Gone on their live album "One More Round"
- Steve BenbowSteve BenbowStephen George "Steve" Benbow , was a British folk guitar player, singer and music director, who was influential in the English folk music revival of the 1960s. His obituary in The Times described him as "a seminal influence on a whole generation of guitarists".He was born in Tooting, Surrey and...
on his album Songs of Ireland - Roger McGuinnRoger McGuinnJames Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
in his Folk DenFolk DenFolk Den is a folk music website founded in 1995 by Roger McGuinn, former front man of The Byrds. Hosted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's ibiblio, the site is intended to preserve and promote folk music and offers a new folk song on a monthly basis...
series. - LeperkhanzLeperKhanzThe LeperKhanz are an experimental troupe of musicians that mix ancient sea shantys, Irish fiddle, reggae, classical, hip-hop, disco and rock. They originally formed in 2003....
on their album "Tiocfaidh Ar La" - Aggressive Force on their album "Aggressive Force"
- Dominic BehanDominic BehanDominic Behan was an Irish songwriter, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also a committed socialist and Irish Republican...
on his album Down By The Liffeyside - Poxy BoggardsPoxy BoggardsThe Poxy Boggards are an American all-male folk band based in Pasadena. They were founded in 1994 at the Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire. Since this time, they have achieved success in the re-burgeoning of the Irish-folk movement, playing with bands such as The Fenians...
on their albums "Barley Legal" and "Bitter and Stout" - Seamus KennedySeamus KennedySeamus Kennedy is an Irish singer, comedian and writer.-Life:Kennedy has been entertaining audiences in the United States since the 1980s...
on his album By Popular Demand