Christy Moore started in the music business in the mid-sixties, when his life as a bank clerk was interrupted by a bank strike, and he moved to England. There he became involved in the folk music scene at the time, and spent a few years playing pubs and clubs around the country.
His return to Ireland was marked by the album 'Prosperous', which proved to be a milestone in the rapprochement of Irish music to the popular mainstream. This album benefited from a collaboration of the leading talents of contemporary folk music, musicians such as Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn, and this one-off was to lead to the formation of Planxty, a band who were soon to be at the leading edge of the revival of Irish traditional music.
Over the following years the musical status of Planxty became legendary both in Ireland, Britain and throughout Europe. However in 1974 the band split up to pursue solo projects. It was during this period that Christy continued to explore new ground as a solo artist recording a number of solo albums including 'The Iron Behind the Velvet' (TARACD2002) which featured Andy Irvine and 'Live in Dublin' (TARACD2005) with Donal Lunny.
The original Planxty lineup of Christy, Andy, Liam and Donal then reformed in 1979. They recorded two further albums with Tara Records 'After the Break' (TARACD3001) and 'The Woman I Loved So Well' (TARACD3005). There were several additions and changes to their lineup most notably the addition of Matt Molloy, flautist from The Bothy Band, who later joined The Chieftains, and Bill Whelan.
In 1981 Planxty performed a Bill Whelan arrangement called 'Timedance' as the intermission piece for the Eurovision song contest, held that year in Ireland. Later it was released as a single and is now included on Bill's CD of 'The Seville Suite' (TARACD3030) released by Tara in 1992.
In the eighties Christy again teamed up with Donal Lunny to form Moving Hearts, another ambitious and innovative Irish band which sought to mix jazz into the folk-rock fusion. Ever the wanderer, Christy was soon breaking out on his own again, and it was in the eighties that he began to establish himself as one of Ireland's leading solo artists with a string of acclaimed albums and high profile tours.
In the mid-nineties Christy decided to take a break from the music for a few years. In the year 2000 Christy return to live performances with a series of Dublin concerts. Over the last few years he has released a number of solo projects including a television series, a live album and a 6 CD boxset.
Father Mc Fadden
Christy Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And likewise pay attention and I'll not detain you long,
Concerning Father McFadden who lies in Lifford Jail,,
He was remanded there for trial, the judge could find no bail.
The day he was arrested was a Sunday after Mass,
It was Inspector Martin, the man who did arrest,
He caught the collar by the priest with a broadsword in his hand,
The congregation seen their priest arrested at the door,
And David being among the flock, he did one stone procure,
He stuck the stone into a sling and my the Lord's command,
He killed Inspector Martin on the ground where he did stand.
They put Martin on a stretcher and to barracks they did go,
To see them walkinng down the road, it was a lovely show,
The congregation booed at them, 'twas glorious for to tell,
And to see a sub-Inspector on a door going off to hell.
The Devil met them on the road, and he took him by the hand,
Says he, "Inspector Martin, I've been waiting for you long,
You being a worthy officer, and you've done your duty well,
And now I'm going to promote you to the burning pits of Hell".
Adieu to Ballyshannon, will I never see you more,
And many's the happy day I spent along Bundoran's shore,
To my wife and family, I said farewell,
And now I'm away and I'm bound to stay in the burning pits of hell.
Some paling (fence) posts were used by those who fought for liberty,
Their priest they swore for to defend from landlord tyranny,
No cowardly inspector would take their hero away,
Their 'star and light' they would protect until their dying day.
The people then proceeded for to knock the villain down,
His henchman flew before them like the hare flees from the hound,
The goodly priest called "Order", but alas, 'twas all in vain,
The Inspector lay there lifeless on the ground where he was slain.
The Devil met them on the road, Lord Leitrim by his side,
Says he, "Inspector Martin, we will have a merry ride,
The flames they won't agree with you, your head is very sore,
You'll curse the day you did stray to a place they call Gweedore".
I thought that I had the words somewhere, it just toook me a while to find them. The lyrics are reasonably historically accurate, except that Lord Leitrim (William Sydney Clements), a notorious Donegal landlord and all-round nasty type, was murdered in 1878 and the murder of Inspector Martin took place in 1889. Father McFadden was soon released but a number of men served prison sentences for their paart in the killing.
The lyrics of Christy Moore's song 'Father McFadden' is a haunting tale of the arrest and imprisonment of Father McFadden in Lifford Jail, as well as the events that unfolded during and after his arrest. The song describes the arrest of the priest by Inspector Martin, which was witnessed by the congregation as they were leaving Mass. David, a member of the congregation, killed Inspector Martin using a stone, and the song describes how both Martin and Father McFadden met the Devil on the road to hell. The song's lyrics are powerful and provide a vivid picture of the events that unfolded in the aftermath of the arrest of Father McFadden.
The song also highlights the themes of religious oppression, land conflict, and resistance to authority, which were all too common in Ireland in the 19th century. The lyrics depict the people's fierce determination to protect their religious leaders and resist any landowners who were seen as an oppressive force. The song also illustrates how the people were willing and prepared to defend their heroes at all costs, as demonstrated when they knocked down the villain and his henchmen who came to arrest Father McFadden.
Line by Line Meaning
Come all ye Roman Catholics and pray you will be near,
Attention all Roman Catholics, please pray and listen carefully to the story that is about to be told.
And likewise pay attention and I'll not detain you long,
Please continue to pay attention as I won't keep you long.
Concerning Father McFadden who lies in Lifford Jail,,
This is a story about Father McFadden who is currently imprisoned in Lifford Jail.
He was remanded there for trial, the judge could find no bail.
He was sent to jail, as he was not granted bail and was waiting for his trial.
The day he was arrested was a Sunday after Mass,
Father McFadden was arrested on a Sunday after he had given a mass.
It was Inspector Martin, the man who did arrest,
Inspector Martin was the person who arrested Father McFadden.
He caught the collar by the priest with a broadsword in his hand,
Inspector Martin held Father McFadden by the collar while he was holding a broadsword.
Says he, "Your are my prisoner, sir, and you must come along".
Inspector Martin declares that Father McFadden is now his prisoner.
The congregation seen their priest arrested at the door,
The people who were attending the mass saw their priest getting arrested at the church door.
And David being among the flock, he did one stone procure,
One of the people named David, who was among the crowd, got a stone.
He stuck the stone into a sling and my the Lord's command,
He put the stone in a sling and prepared to throw it with God's blessing.
He killed Inspector Martin on the ground where he did stand.
David killed Inspector Martin by throwing the stone at him causing him to die on the spot.
They put Martin on a stretcher and to barracks they did go,
Inspector Martin's body was taken on a stretcher to the barracks.
To see them walkinng down the road, it was a lovely show,
The people who witnessed the event thought it was pleasing to see them being taken away.
The congregation booed at them, 'twas glorious for to tell,
The people in the crowd shouted at them in disgust, and it was a great sight to behold.
And to see a sub-Inspector on a door going off to hell.
It was satisfying to see even the sub-inspector being taken away as if he was going to hell.
The Devil met them on the road, and he took him by the hand,
The Devil met Inspector Martin and took him by the hand to lead him to hell.
Says he, "Inspector Martin, I've been waiting for you long,
The Devil tells Inspector Martin that he has been waiting for his arrival for a long time.
You being a worthy officer, and you've done your duty well,
The Devil compliments Inspector Martin saying he was a good officer and did his job well.
And now I'm going to promote you to the burning pits of Hell".
The Devil says that he will reward Inspector Martin with a promotion to the burning pits of Hell.
Adieu to Ballyshannon, will I never see you more,
Father McFadden bids farewell to Ballyshannon with the thought that he may never return again.
And many's the happy day I spent along Bundoran's shore,
Father McFadden remembers the days he spent happily along the shore of Bundoran.
To my wife and family, I said farewell,
Father McFadden also says goodbye to his family, including his wife.
And now I'm away and I'm bound to stay in the burning pits of hell.
Father McFadden believes he will remain in Hell where he is destined to be.
Some paling (fence) posts were used by those who fought for liberty,
The people who fought for their freedom used fence posts as weapons.
Their priest they swore for to defend from landlord tyranny,
Their priest was in danger of being arrested by the landlords, and they swore to protect him.
No cowardly inspector would take their hero away,
They were not going to let any inspector take their hero away, referring to Father McFadden.
Their 'star and light' they would protect until their dying day.
They would protect their savior, who brought hope and enlightenment, until the very end of their lives.
The people then proceeded for to knock the villain down,
The people then went ahead to beat the person who caused them harm down.
His henchman flew before them like the hare flees from the hound,
The helper of the villain ran away, just like how a hare runs from a hound.
The goodly priest called "Order", but alas, 'twas all in vain,
Father McFadden tried to call for order, but his attempts were unsuccessful.
The Inspector lay there lifeless on the ground where he was slain.
The Inspector was lying lifelessly on the ground where he was killed.
The Devil met them on the road, Lord Leitrim by his side,
The Devil and Lord Leitrim were present on the road.
Says he, "Inspector Martin, we will have a merry ride,
The Devil intends to take Inspector Martin on a cheery ride.
The flames they won't agree with you, your head is very sore,
The Devil tells Inspector Martin that the fire will not suit his head, as he inflicted pain on himself and others.
You'll curse the day you did stray to a place they call Gweedore".
The Devil warns Inspector Martin that he will regret coming to a place like Gweedore as he will be forever cursed.
Contributed by Carson L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ernest Mc Nulty
Remember this on Paddy On The Road...Christy's first LP 😀