After leaving school at the age of fourteen, Doyle started doing odd jobs, including working as general factotum in Dublin's Pike Theatre, where he began to pick up, from the travelling players, songs from the Irish countryside.
During the 1960s and 1970s, he was one of the top Irish singers, regularly featuring in the Irish charts and scoring three No.1 singles (notably displacing ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" after just one week at the top). He has recorded 25 albums, including Emigrant Eyes, a collaboration with his sister Geraldine, a comedian popular in Australia. He is probably best known for his 1967 number one hit "Whiskey on a Sunday".
He has appeared in concert throughout the world, including Carnegie Hall, New York and the Albert Hall, London.
Although retired from performing, he joined numerous musicians on stage at the end of the 2010 Milwaukee Irish Fest, in what is known as the Scattering.
Discography
Selected singles
"Step it Out Mary" / "Pretty Saro" (IE #4) December, 1966
"Irish Soldier Laddie" / "Morning Train" (IE #7) April, 1967
"Step It Out Mary" / "Sam Hall" / "Early Morning Rain" / 2Red Haired Mary" EP, May 1967
"Whiskey on a Sunday" / "Reason To Believe" (IE #1) September 1967
"The Mucky Kid" / "Gone Away" (IE #17) March, 1968
"Johnny" / "Leaving On A Jet Plane" October, 1968
"The Long and Winding Road" June 1970
"Take Me Home Country Roads" August 1971
"The Green Hills of Kerry"
"A Daisy a Day" / "Far Away In Australia" (IE #1) May, 1973
"Thanks for the Memories" / "Kentucky Moonshine" (IE #2) January, 1974
"A Very Special Love Song" / "Morning Bells Will Chime" (IE #11) July, 1974
"Jesus Is My Kind Of People" / "Penny Annie" February, 1975
"Somewhere, Somebody's Waiting" (IE #5) September, 1976
"The Rare Auld Times" (IE #1) January, 1978
"Old Dublin Town" / "Bells of the Morning" 1978
"The Rare Auld Times" / "Old Dublin Town" (re-release) (IE #14) 1979
Albums
Expressions of Danny Doyle, 1967
Whiskey On A Sunday, 1970
Danny Doyle, 1971
Grand Ole Irish Opry, 1973
Raised on Songs and Stories
The Highwayman, 1982
Twenty Years A-Growing
Collection Vol. 1 (Emerald Encore)
Collection Vol. 2
Folkmaster's Ensemble
Under a Connemara Moon
Classic Collection
St. Brendan's Fair Isle
Emigrant Eyes
The Wearing of the Green
Books
The Gold Sun of Freedom (with Terrance Folan)
Festival Legends, Songs & Stories (John O'Brien Jr.)
References
The Fields Of Athenry
Danny Doyle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard a young girl calling
Michael they are taking you away
For you stole Trevelyn's corn
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matter Mary when your free,
Against the Famine and the Crown
I rebelled they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
By a lonely harbor wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she'll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
The Fields of Athenry is a heartbreaking ballad that tells the story of Michael, a young man who was imprisoned for stealing corn in 1848 during the time of the Great Famine in Ireland. The song begins with the singer by a lonely prison wall, hearing a young girl calling for Michael. The song then describes how Michael was taken away to a prison ship waiting in the bay. The first chorus repeats the phrase "Low lie the Fields of Athenry" which symbolizes the tragic fate that befell Michael and his family.
The second verse shifts to a young man calling out to Mary, his love, stating that it doesn't matter if he's free anymore because he's been imprisoned for rebelling against the famine and the Crown. The singer goes on to say that Mary must now raise their child with dignity. The second chorus repeats the phrase "Low lie the Fields of Athenry" and highlights the themes of lost love and shattered dreams.
The final verse is sung from the perspective of Mary, who is watching the prison ship leaving the harbor, and prays that her love will find a better life in Botany Bay. The song concludes on a somber tone, emphasizing the loneliness and despair felt by those whose lives were destroyed by the famine and the British occupation. The lyrics of The Fields of Athenry evoke powerful emotions of sadness, loss, and resilience, making it one of the most widely recognized and beloved traditional Irish songs.
Line by Line Meaning
By a lonely prison wall
In front of a desolate prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
A young girl shouted out
Michael they are taking you away
Michael is being taken away
For you stole Trevelyn's corn
Michael was arrested for stealing corn from Trevelyn
So the young might see the morn.
He took the corn to feed the poor and needy so they can make it through the night and see the morning sun.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.
There is a ship on the bay waiting to transport Michael to prison.
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
The Fields of Athenry are sorrowful and desolate
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
We used to watch the birds fly freely and joyfully in the past
Our love was on the wing
Our love was flourishing
We had dreams and songs to sing
We had aspirations and music to create and enjoy
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
The Fields of Athenry are now lonely and melancholic
Nothing matter Mary when your free,
Mary, everything becomes insubstantial when you are free from captivity
Against the Famine and the Crown
Michael fought against the famine and the British monarchy
I rebelled they ran me down
Michael was rebelling against the British and they captured and imprisoned him.
Now you must raise our child with dignity.
Mary was left to raise their child alone, and Michael wants her to do it with decency
By a lonely harbor wall
Near a desolate port wall
She watched the last star falling
Mary saw the last star of the night setting in the sky
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
As the ship carrying Michael sailed into the horizon
Sure she'll wait and hope and pray
Mary will wait and hope and pray for Michael's return
For her love in Botany Bay
Michael was exiled to Botany Bay as he could never return to Ireland
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
The Fields of Athenry are still lonely and sorrowful.
Contributed by Henry F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mary McWilliams
on The rose of saigon
As a longtime Danny Doyle fan I want to congratulate you on this version of one of his beautiful songs.