St Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
To celebrate this fact JAM Duo have recorded Carrickfergus. “Carrickfergus” is an Irish folk song, named after the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Most of the story seems to occur in and around Kilkenny; indeed the “Ballygran” referred to in the song may be the local Ballingarry coal mines. “Marble…black as ink” is also mined locally. It was first recorded, under the name “The Kerry Boatman”, by Dominic Behan on an LP called The Irish Rover, released in 1965.
