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"The Auld Triangle" is a song by Dick Shannon, often attributed toBrendan Behan, who made it famous when he included it in his 1954 playThe Quare Fellow. He first performed it publicly in 1952 on the RTÉ radio programme 'The Ballad Maker's Saturday Night', produced by Mícheál Ó hAodha. Behan's biographer, Michael O'Sullivan, recorded, 'It has been believed for many years that Brendan wrote that famous prison song but Mícheál Ó hAodha says he never laid claim to authorship. Indeed he asked him to send a copyright to another Dubliner, Dick Shannon.'[1] When he recorded the song forBrendan Behan Sings Irish Folksongs and Ballads (Spoken Arts 1960), Behan introduced it with these words: 'This song was written by a person who will never hear it recorded, because he's not in possession of a gramophone. He's ... he's ... pretty much of a tramp.'
Shannon's authorship was asserted by his relatives in discussions on theMudcat Cafe folksong forum. Here, Deasún ÓSeanáin, his nephew, recorded: 'My father Thomas Shannon told me as far back as the 1950s that Dickey had written it. Dickey is buried in Manchester. It would be nice to see a plaque erected indicating him as the author.'[2] Shannon's grandson Tom Neary posted: 'I can confirm that it was indeed Dicky Shannon who penned the song for Behan. Brendan and Dicky were very close pals, as well as drinking mates....I have many stories of their escapades together....Brendan always credited Dicky for the song because they were great pals, however, I can verify that Dicky never received a penny in royalties and neither did his family...I must also point out that grandad was not in fact a tramp, but was a highly articulate man with a very dry sense of humour, which could cut you to the quick without degrading you. He was also a very tough man who had literally fought his way through life inthe Liberties.'[3]
The first commercial recording was by Brendan's brotherDominic Behan on his 1958 Topic albumIrish Songs. On the liner notes, he wrote, 'The Old Triangle is a song of Mountjoy Prison and was made popular in the play "The Quare Fella" by Brendan Behan of Dublin.'[4]
The song was later made famous byLuke Kelly,Ronnie Drew andThe Dubliners in the late 1960s, and was revived for a new audience by Irish rock bandThe Pogues on their 1984 albumRed Roses for Me.
The song has become also a football chant, sung by fans of the DublinBohemian Football Club whose ground is near the prison. In 2021, Ronan Burtenshaw reported, 'Recently, the club's fans have gone viral for their renditions of ‘The Auld Triangle'.'[5]
The song is used to introduce the play, a story about the occurrences in a prison (in real lifeMountjoy Prison where Behan had once been lodged) the day a convict is set to be executed. The triangle in the title refers to the large metal triangle which was beaten daily in Mountjoy Prison to waken the inmates ("The Auld Triangle goes Jingle Jangle"). The triangle still hangs in the prison at the centre where the wings meet on a metal gate. It is no longer used, though the hammer to beat it is mounted beside it.In the original play by Brendan Behan, the song is written as the "old triangle" not "auld triangle".
The triangle was rung regularly to signify points in the prison's routine.
As with many Irish ballads, the lyrics have been changed with each passing cover. For example, theDropkick Murphys recording condenses the structure into a three-lyric section song with a chorus based on the last two lines of each stanza in the original.
This song has been recorded by a number of artists.
| Artist, album | Year |
|---|---|
| Bert Jansch for his albumThe Black Swan | 2006 |
| Blackthorn on their albumNil na La[6] | 1997 |
| Bob Dylan andThe Band also recorded a rendition of the song during theirBasement Tapes sessions. This recording is available on bootleg recordings but does not appear on the officialThe Basement Tapes album released in 1975. It finally appeared in 2014 on the official release,The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete. | 1967 |
| Brendan Behan,Brendan Behan Sings Irish Folksongs and Ballads, Spoken Arts | 1960 |
| Cat Power for her EPDark End of the Street | 2008 |
| Chris Thile,Chris Eldridge,Marcus Mumford,Justin Timberlake andGabe Witcher for the soundtrack to theCoen Brothers' filmInside Llewyn Davis[7] | 2013 |
| Dominic Behan,Irish Songs (Recalled by Dominic Behan), Topic | 1958 |
| Glen Hansard, lead singer ofThe Frames, andDamien Dempsey, to raise funds for the charitySociety of Saint Vincent de Paul.[8] | 2010 |
| Ian & Sylvia as "The Royal Canal" for theirFour Strong Winds album | 1963 |
| Jeff Tweedy on his tour DVDSunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest | 2006 |
| Liam Clancy as "Royal Canal" on his self-titled 1965 album (reissued with additional tracksasIrish Troubadour) | 1999 |
| Lifvens Vänner Swedish band recorded this song for their album "Lifvs Levenes" | 1997 |
| Oysterband for their 'Alive and Acoustic' recording | 1998 |
| Patrick Clifford, onChance of a Start | 2012 |
| Ronnie Drew, on hisself-titled solo album | 1975 |
| Ryan Boldt on his albumBroadside Ballads[9] | 2014 |
| The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem onAin't It Grand Boys | (Recorded 1964, released 1995, as "Royal Canal") andThe Bold Fenian Men (1969, as "The Old Triangle") |
| Colm R. McGuinness released a performance of the song on YouTube in May 2021; it was released in May 2022 as part of his 'Don't Trad On Me' album. | 2021/2022 |
The Doug Anthony Allstars performed a medley (a variation on Fred Geis's "Lament for Brendan Behan" prefacing "The Auld Triangle") on the Australian ABC program The Big Gig in the late 1980s.[10]
The Frames performed it as the final song of a two-hour concert at the Vic Theater in Chicago on 23 November 2010. They performed the song live onRTÉ television'sThe Saturday Night Show on 18 December of the same year.U2 played a live cover version at Croke Park, Dublin on 24 July 2009 as part of the 360 tour.Bono joined lead singerGlen Hansard on 8 May 2012 in New York City'sThe Living Room venue to perform the song.[11]
At theCeiliúradh (celebration) atRoyal Albert Hall on 10 April 2014, it was sung by a collection of performers includingGlen Hansard,Lisa Hannigan,Elvis Costello, Conor O’Brien (ofVillagers),Paul Brady,Imelda May,John Sheahan,Dónal Lunny,Andy Irvine andThe Gloaming.
