It’s a long way to Tipperary

This favourite song of WW1 composed in 1910 was an instant hit in the music halls of the day and enjoyed because of its pleasing marching style rhythm which even included a few bars from “Rule Britannia” sandwiched in as a musical interlude between the 1st and 2nd verses. “Rule Britannia" of course, is of much older grand vintage but retains its popularity today to rousing cheers from audiences at the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms.

‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’ was extremely popular with troops in WW1 - particularly those on their way to the western front in 1914, but even today it still remains a favourite around the piano. On my mother’s side my grandfather served in both the Boer war and WW1- when no doubt it was heard in and around his encampments.

Both Ireland and England reflect my ancestral roots. On my mother’s side my grandparents arrived on our shores in 1895 as newlyweds, settling in the seaside town of Ballina - famous for its magnificent cedar timber and located in northern NSW. On my father’s side my great, great grandfather was born in Tipperary, Ireland in 1816. This information came to me some time ago via the BBC when celebrity actor -producer Jack Thomson (his adopted name) who presented the series ‘Who do you think you are’ included a segment about his own biological family. A friend contacted me to say I must be related as a distant cousin which allowed me to ascertain a good deal more about my ancestral background which I have included briefly in this posting.

My great,great Grandfather on my father’s side arrived in Australia from Ireland in 1836, transported on the “Captain Cook’ – a journey which lasted 170 days. Earlier in Ireland his conviction on the 12th March 1836 for armed robbery -which carried a mandatory death sentence was commuted by the judge seeking clemency to substitute transportation for life to NSW, Australia on the 29th March 1836. Upon arrival, on the recommendation of a Constable, he was granted a ‘ticket of leave’ and conditional pardon. He subsequently wasted no time in establishing himself in Ballina as a cedar cutter, then timber trader and owner of a tavern in 1842. In 1848 he married and eventually fathered 8 children. He died in 1882.

My great grandfather was a farmer, cedar cutter and later became a mail contractor, fathered 15 children and managed to live on to a ripe old age of 82. Most of the descendants on my father’s side were involved or married into families reliant on the timbergetting industries. Not only were the descendants all involved in the Cedar industry but their children also married into timbergetting families and most stayed generally within the one district. On my Grandmother’s side co incidentally they were also all Cedargetters and one rose to prominence with his history recorded in local historical texts. Known as the Cedar King he purchased the biggest tree ever felled, one that yielded 38,000 feet of timber. What a sacrilege, to cut down such majestic forestry giants!! Nevertheless he went on to become mayor and a prominent citizen whose poetry, epitaphs and stories of the Richmond district appeared in many publications. Within that family tree is also recorded a marriage to a scar faced convict whilst another’s on my grandmother’s side was descended from royalty, but disinherited as she married a master mariner, considered to be well below her rank in life.

It’s a long way to Tiperary

Up to mighty London came
An Irish lad one day,
All the streets were paved with gold,
So everyone was gay!
Singing songs of Piccadilly,
Strand, and Leicester Square,
'Til Paddy got excited and
He shouted to them there:

It's a long way to Tipperary,
It's a long way to go.
It's a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly,
Farewell Leicester Square!
It's a long long way to Tipperary,
But my heart's right there.

Paddy wrote a letter
To his Irish Molly O',
Saying, "Should you not receive it,
Write and let me know!
If I make mistakes in "spelling",
Molly dear", said he,
"Remember it's the pen, that's bad,
Don't lay the blame on me".

It's a long way to Tipperary,
It's a long way to go.
It's a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly,
Farewell Leicester Square,
It's a long long way to Tipperary,
But my heart's right there.

Molly wrote a neat reply
To Irish Paddy O',
Saying, "Mike Maloney wants
To marry me, and so
Leave the Strand and Piccadilly,
Or you'll be to blame,
For love has fairly drove me silly,
Hoping you're the same!"

It's a long way to Tipperary,
It's a long way to go.
It's a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly,
Farewell Leicester Square,
It's a long long way to Tipperary,
But my heart's right there.