365:, 28 December 1952: "For me, 'The Isle of Innisfree' is simply Ireland, and it was Ireland I had in mind when I wrote this song about an exile's longing for home. The whole song, words and music, was composed in half an hour on that bus. I know that by the time I got to Dublin I had my song, the complete words and music... "Of course, it's not as easy as all that, and sometimes, for instance, I have waited for weeks to get the last line of a song".
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and no greater praise is possible. But its appeal is also timeless and international, expressing as it does the trauma of separation from one's birthplace and the ecstasy of returning to the physical soil from which one is sprung... But it is the sheer unanswerable beauty of the melody of
Richard
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The first public performance of the song was at a social event in the St. Vincent De Paul Hall in Kells, Co. Meath on St. Patrick's Night 1950. The "Isle of
Innisfree" and "Seolta Bána" by Dick Farrelly were performed by Sinead Stone and Gerard Farrelly (Dick Farrelly's son) for Irish actress
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145:(Irish songwriter, policeman and poet, born Richard Farrelly), who wrote both the music and lyrics. Farrelly got the inspiration for "Isle of Innisfree", the song for which he is best remembered, while on a bus journey from his native
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as one of the top 75 Irish songs of all time in a series entitled "The Story Behind The Songs". Des MacHale (writer and mathematician) and Dick
Farrelly's son Gerard were contributors on the programme. There is also a
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that makes the greatest impact and dwells so deeply in the memory. Here is music dripping with emotion, lush texture, brimming with nostalgia, and fitting so perfectly into the action of
353:(Ireland's National Broadcasting Station): "The "Isle of Innisfree" that was in my mind was Ireland, another name for Ireland, and that's something people often get mixed up".
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1950s sheet music front cover of "The Isle of
Innisfree". This edition was released to coincide with the song's use as the main theme music of the film
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Farrelly’s "Isle of
Innisfree" is a haunting melody with lyrics expressing the longing of an Irish emigrant for his native land. When film director
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that it could have been written with the movie in mind. No wonder John Ford jumped on it and named the village of
Innisfree in its honour".
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264:"It is one of the finest and most beautiful melodies ever written, ranking in the opinion of many, right beside
166:. The composition received no mention in the screen credits. "The Isle of Innisfree" became a worldwide hit for
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television series, "Brian
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The song remains popular and has been recorded by hundreds of artists around the world.
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heard the song, he loved it so much that he chose it as the principal theme of his film
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to Dublin. The song was published in 1950 by the Peter
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In a chapter entitled "Richard
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Extract from Peter Murphy's interview with Dick
Farrelly in July 1990 on
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Garda Review Magazine. Scroll down to article – An Garda Siochana &
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is shown. The melody is also included in the soundtracks of the films
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There is a common misconception that the song and the famous poem by
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in 1952 and continues to feature in the repertoires of many artists.
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Irish Music Rights Organisation – 'Legacy Of A Quiet Man CD' article
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The Story Behind The Songs, Rattlebag, RTE Radio Arts Programme
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Spotlight on Dick Farrelly & 'Legacy of a Quiet Man' album
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The song was also featured in the RTÉ Radio arts programme
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53:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
311:International Conference which took place in the
401:: Soundtrack, track listing & audio samples
202:(1952). It features in Steven Spielberg's film
208:(1982) when the famous kissing scene between
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416:Picture The Quiet Man, book by Des MacHale
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113:Learn how and when to remove this message
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51:adding citations to reliable sources
18:Isle of Innisfree (disambiguation)
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431:Lyrics of The Isle of Innisfree
411:Musician Gerard Farrelly's site
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456:Songs written by Dick Farrelly
384:Dick Farrelly's musical legacy
335:Professor Des MacHale (2004).
295:at the JFK Heritage Centre in
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293:Irish America Hall of Fame
291:at her induction into the
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179:Lake Isle of Innisfree
141:is a song composed by
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271:The Isle of Innisfree
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16:For other uses, see
309:George Bernard Shaw
282:Performance history
139:"Isle of Innisfree"
62:"Isle of Innisfree"
339:. Appletree Press.
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40:verification
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258:Des MacHale
226:(1988) and
175:W. B. Yeats
168:Bing Crosby
103:August 2018
451:1952 songs
440:Categories
393:Connection
319:References
210:John Wayne
183:Lough Gill
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266:Danny Boy
242:Rattlebag
158:John Ford
297:New Ross
236:Analysis
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