Christy Moore & Shane MacGowan sing Spancil Hill

"Spancil Hill is a song written in a traditional Irish folk style by Michael Considine. It bemoans the plight of the Irish immigrants who so longed for home from their new lives in America, many of whom went to California with the Gold Rush. This song is sung by a man who longs for his home in Spancilhill, County Clare, his friends and the love he left there. All the characters and places in this song are real... The nearby Fair Green is used for the famous Spancilhill Horse Fair each year, on 23 June or on the following day if 23 June falls on a Sunday. At one time, Spancil Hill was said to be Ireland's largest fair with buyers from Britain, Russia, Prussia, and France competing to purchase the best stock for their Imperial armies. Michael Considine was born around 1850 and emigrated to the USA from Spancilhill at around 1870. At the age of 23, he suffered from ill health for a long time and, knowing he hadn't long to live, he wrote the poem "Spancilhill" to be sent home... and it was kept safe by his six year old nephew, John Considine." Posted on Youtube on the 23rd of April 2013 by RobertRuhi.