Bill Hughes formed the idea of a trio of Irish tenors during a Cannes festival at which the famous Three Tenors, Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras and Plácido Domingo were performing. Hughes wanted to produce a television special and first approached Ireland's Finbar Wright in 1998 to join the group but Wright's recording contract with Sony BMG prohibited such a venture. Hughes then invited Canadian John McDermott to head up the group and he accepted. After conferring with Ireland's leading vocal coach, Dr. Veronica Dunne, Anthony Kearns and Ronan Tynan were asked to join. In 1999, "The Irish Tenors-in Dublin" debuted on PBS television in the United States.
PBS signed up for another special by the increasingly popular new group but early in 2000 McDermott's mother died and John decided he could not fully commit himself to the group. Days before PBS was to film The Irish Tenors - Live in Belfast Hughes again contacted Finbar Wright and asked him to step in. Wright agreed to help and was asked to stay on for upcoming tour dates. Having left Sony, Wright was able to join the trio on a permanent basis.
In 2001, the Irish Tenors filmed their third special, an historic PBS broadcast at New York's Ellis Island , hosted by Irish/American actor Martin Sheen. Their album "Ellis Island" topped Billboard's Heatseeker list and landed on its "Top 10 Best of 2001".
In 2006, after Tynan left the group to concentrate on his solo career, Karl Scully was asked by Kearns and Wright to join the trio. This successful blend of voices spurred Bill Hughes to produce a television 9 part series for Ireland's RTE titled The Irish Tenors & Friends. Friends performing on the television special with The Irish Tenors include Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber , Paul Carrick, Finbar Furey , Hayley Westenra , Shayne Ward , Sharon Shannon, Peter Grant , Rebecca Storm, Lucia Evans , and Celine Byrne.
In 2007 the South Carolina Legislature issued a "Proclamation" welcoming the trio to that State at their performance in Charleston.
The trio continues to tour yearly.
Galway Bay
The Irish Tenors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my dear old wife would only pass away
She nearly has my heart broke with her naggin'
She's got a mouth as big as Galway Bay
See her drinkin' sixteen pints of Pabst Blue Ribbon, commercial
And then she can walk home without a sway
If the sea was beer instead of salty water
See her drinkin' sixteen pints of Padgo Murphy's
The barman says, "I think it's time to go"
And she doesn't try to speak to him in Gaelic
In a language that the clergy do not know
On her back she has tattooed a map of Ireland
And when she takes her bath on Saturday
She rubs the sunlight soap around by Claddaugh
Just to watch the suds flow down by Galway Bay
The Irish Tenors’ song Galway Bay is about a man who reminisces about his home country and ponders returning to Ireland someday. However, his nagging wife serves as a deterrence. The lyrics of the song are humorous with the portrayal of the man's wife known for her love for drinking, specifically beer. The man describes how his wife can drink sixteen pints of beer and still walk home without swaying. The lyrics compare the saltwater of the sea to beer, indicating that if the sea was beer, his wife would live and die in Galway Bay. The lyrics also mention the woman's tattoo of Ireland on her back, which she takes pride in.
The song portrays the woman as a humorous character, whose eccentricity is perhaps the reason for the man's frustration. The song might be interpreted as a commentary on the struggles of married life or a light-hearted depiction of the cultural legacy of Ireland. It is possible that the man is questioning whether returning to Ireland is worth the constant nagging of his wife who has a 'mouth as big as Galway Bay'.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe someday, I'll go back again to Ireland
I long to go back to Ireland someday in the future
And my dear old wife would only pass away
I hope my wife passes away before I return because she nags me too much
She nearly has my heart broke with her naggin'
My wife's constant complaining and criticizing is hurting me emotionally
She's got a mouth as big as Galway Bay
My wife talks excessively and loudly, just like the large bay in Ireland
See her drinkin' sixteen pints of Pabst Blue Ribbon, commercial
My wife can drink a lot of beer without getting drunk, as demonstrated by her ability to consume 16 pints of Pabst Blue Ribbon
And then she can walk home without a sway
After drinking 16 pints of beer, my wife can still walk straight without stumbling
If the sea was beer instead of salty water
If the ocean was filled with beer instead of saltwater
She would live and die in Galway Bay
My wife loves beer so much that she would choose to live and die in Galway Bay if it were filled with beer
See her drinkin' sixteen pints of Padgo Murphy's
Another instance of my wife drinking a lot of beer in one sitting
The barman says, "I think it's time to go"
The bartender tells my wife that it's time to leave the bar because she's had too much to drink
And she doesn't try to speak to him in Gaelic
My wife doesn't attempt to speak to the bartender in the native language of Ireland
In a language that the clergy do not know
My wife speaks in an unknown language that even the local clergy cannot understand
On her back she has tattooed a map of Ireland
My wife has a tattoo of a map of Ireland on her back
And when she takes her bath on Saturday
My wife takes a bath on Saturdays
She rubs the sunlight soap around by Claddaugh
My wife uses sunlight soap to wash herself, focusing on the Claddaugh area of her body
Just to watch the suds flow down by Galway Bay
My wife enjoys seeing the soap suds flow down her body, imagining that it's like the waves in Galway Bay
Contributed by Isabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ron Wickman
on Grace
A glorious rendition that tears at one's heart, without histrionics.. Wm. Shakespeare couldn't have said it better.