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Schooldays Over.
“Good God! to think upon a child, that has no childish days,
No careless play, no frolics wild, no words of prayer and praise!
Man from the cradle, ’tis too soon to earn their daily bread,
And heap the heat and toil of noon, upon an infant’s head.
O, England! though thy tribute waves, proclaim thee great and free,
While those small children pine like slaves, there is a curse on thee!”
Extract from a poem by Letitia Elizabeth Landon entitled “The Factory”,
Read her poem in full here.
Child labour, as we are aware, is the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives them of their childhood; interferes with their ability to attend regular education, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful to their being. Poverty and lack of schools are considered the primary cause of child labour.
Child labour has existed to varying extents throughout world history and as late as 2017, four African nations (Mali, Benin, Chad and Guinea-Bissau) witnessed over 50% of children, latter aged between the ages of 5-14, working, the largest employers of child labour.
With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, there was a rapid increase in the industrial exploitation of labour, including child labour. The Victorian era in particular became notorious for the conditions under which children were employed.
Children as young as four years old were employed in factories and mines, working long hours in dangerous, often fatal, working conditions. In coal mines, children would crawl through tunnels, latter too narrow for adults to fit.
Children were also employed as errand boys, shoe blacks, or selling matches, flowers and other cheap goods. Some children undertook work as apprentices to respectable trades, such as building or as domestic servants. Their Working hours were long: builders worked an average of 64 hours a week during summer months and 52 hours during winter months, while servants indoors worked an 80-hour week.
Child wages were low; as little as 10–20% of an adult male’s wage.
With the later growth of trade unions these issues began to change. German-born philosopher, economist, political theorist, historian, sociologist, journalist and revolutionary socialist, Karl Marx (1818-1883) was an outspoken opponent of child labour, stating that British industries “could but live by sucking blood, and children’s blood too”, and that U.S. capital was financed by the “capitalized blood of children”.
The English poet and novelist, better known by her initials Letitia Elizabeth Landon [L.E.L.] (1802–1838) castigated child labour in her 1835 poem “The Factory”, portions of which she pointedly included in her 18th Birthday Tribute to the Princess Victoria in 1837.
Thankfully, in this case our world has changed considerably for the better.
Schooldays Over.
Lyrics: The late, great British folk singer, songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor, James Henry Miller, better known by the stage name of Ewan MacColl.
Vocals: Irish singer, folk musician and Dublin actor, the late, great Luke Kelly.
Schooldays Over.
Schooldays over, come on then John, time to be getting your pit boots on.
On with your sark* and the moleskin trousers*, it’s time you were on your way,
Time you were learning the pitman’s job and earning the pitman’s pay.
Come on then Jim, it’s time to go, time you were working down below.
Time to be handling a pick and shovel, you start at the pits today,
Time you were learning the collier’s job and earning the collier’s pay,
Come on then Dai, it’s almost light, time you were off to the anthracite.
The morning mist is on the vallеy it’s time you were on your way,
Time you were learning the miner’s job and earning the miner’s pay.
Schooldays over, come on then John, time to be getting your pit boots on.
On with your sark and the moleskin trousers, it’s time you were on your way,
Time you were learning the pitman’s job and earning the pitman’s pay.
End
[* sark: Any long, shirtlike garment worn next to the skin, as a chemise, nightshirt].
[* moleskin trousers: Working menswear, woven of carded cotton yarn in a dense weft-faced satin weave, similar to today’s jeans in terms of cut and construction and still commonly used to make trousers today].
We Are The World
Back in 1985 Lionel Richie wrote “We Are the World” together with pop icon, the late Michael Jackson. Their aim was to raise money for African famine relief. The “We Are The World” single and album, combined with other promotional activities, raised more than €55,113,000.00 ($60 million) for humanitarian aid [same is equivalent to more than €119,411,500.00 ($130 million today)]. The song received a Grammy for “song of the year”, while the estimated global sales of the song were said to be over 20 million.
It was so easy to donate a few spare Euro to a just cause and then simply turn our backs in a somewhat sanctimonious fashion. I say this noting that 38 years later “the world has not come together” as the song recommends. With 101,070 Ukraine refugees residing in Ireland [Per data supplied on 20/11/2023], having fled for their lives from a war torn land. Let us ask ourselves, have we failed “to stand together as one and to heed that certain call when people need that helping hand”.
Lyrics: Lionel Richie / Michael Jackson.
Main Vocals less Chorus: Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Carnes, Bob Dylan and Ray Charles.
We Are The World
There comes a time,
When we heed a certain call,
When the world must come together as one.
There are people dying,
Oh, and it’s time to lend a hand to life,
The greatest gift of all.
We can’t go on,
Pretending day-by-day,
That someone, somewhere soon make a change.
We’re all a part of God’s great big family,
And the truth, you know, love is all we need.
We are the world,
We are the children,
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving.
There’s a choice we’re making,
We’re saving our own lives,
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.
Oh, send them your heart,
So they know that someone cares,
And their lives will be stronger and free.
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread,
And so we all must lend a helping hand.
We are the world,
We are the children,
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving.
Oh, there’s a choice we’re making,
We’re saving our own lives,
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.
When you’re down and out, there seems no hope at all,
But if you just believe there’s no way we can fall,
Well, well, well, well let us realize,
Oh, that a change can only come.
When we stand together as one, yeah, yeah, yeah,
We are the world,
We are the children,
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving.
There’s a choice we’re making,
We’re saving our own lives,
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.
We are the world,
We are the children,
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving.
There’s a choice we’re making,
We’re saving our own lives,
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.
We are the world (are the world),
We are the children (are the children),
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day, so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving).
There is a choice we’re making,
We’re saving our own lives,
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.
Oh, let me hear you!
We are the world (we are the world),
We are the children (said we are the children),
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let start giving (so let’s start giving).
There’s a choice we’re making,
We’re saving our own lives,
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me, come on now, let me hear you.
We are the world (we are the world),
We are the children (we are the children),
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving).
There’s a choice we’re making,
We’re saving our own lives,
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me, yeah.
We are the world (we are the world),
We are the children (we are the children),
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving).
There’s a choice we’re making,
And we’re saving our own lives,
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.
We are the world (are the world),
We are the children (are the children),
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving).
There’s a choice we’re making,
We’re saving our own lives,
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.
We are the world, we are the world (are the world),
We are the children, yes sir (are the children),
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving).
There’s a choice we’re making,
We’re saving our own lives,
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me, ooh-hoo!
We are the world (dear God) (are the world),
We are the children (are the children),
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let’s start giving. (all right, can you hear what I’m saying?)
There’s a choice we’re making, we’re saving our own lives.
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.
END
Winter Song.
“A good friend can make up for all those missing hours of sunlight, so this song and lyrics, hereunder, pay homage to a close winter friendship, rather than like in summer, when the rules of friendship are more free and moderate.”
Vocals: Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles
Lyrics: American singer-songwriter, and pianist Sara Beth Bareilles and American singer-songwriter and actress Ingrid Michaelson.
Winter Song.
(Also known as the “TWinter Song”)
This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon,
It rolls in from the sea
My voice; a beacon in the night.
My words will be your light,
To carry you to me.
Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love
They say that things just cannot grow
Beneath the winter snow,
Or so I have been told.
They say were buried far,
Just like a distant star
I simply cannot hold.
Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?
This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
‘Cause you’re not where you belong;
Inside my arms.
I still believe in summer days.
The seasons always change
And life will find a way.
I’ll be your harvester of light
And send it out tonight
So we can start again.
Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?
This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
‘Cause you’re not where you belong;
Inside my arms.
This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon
It rolls in from the sea.
My love a beacon in the night.
My words will be your light
To carry you to me.
Is love alive?
END
It was with the greatest sadness that I learned this morning of the death of Mr Shane MacGowan Pogues frontman and songwriter at the age of 65. Mr MacGowan had been ill for some time.
I had the great pleasure of meeting and photographing Mr MacGowan on several occasions, both in his home town of Nenagh and topping the bill at a previous ‘Ned Of the Hill festival’, latter held in Upperchurch, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Born in Kent, UK, Mr MacGowan was the son of Irish immigrants Mr Maurice and Mrs Therese MacGowan; going on to front the band “The Pogues” from 1982 until their break-up in 2014.
Mr MacGowan had been receiving treatment at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin for several months having had well-documented problems with drugs and alcohol, before being discharged on November 22nd last, to return home to spend time with his friends and family.
Mr MacGowan had formed the Irish punk band “Pogue Mahone”, [A derivative of the Irish phrase “Póg mo thóin” in English meaning “Kiss my Arse”], before later shortening same to “The Pogues”, in 1982, with the band releasing seven studio albums.
In 1988 the late Kirsty MacColl (1959-2000) collaborated with “The Pogues” for that most well-loved Christmas song ‘Fairytale of New York’, written by Mr MacGowan, which achieved the No.2 spot in the UK charts and today, within the UK and Ireland, same remains one of the best-loved of Christmas songs.
Mr MacGowan revealed he was diagnosed with encephalitis last year in a video posted to social media. [Encephalitis is an uncommon but serious condition in which the brain becomes inflamed and swollen.] He had also confined to a wheelchair since 2015, having injured himself in a fall.
Garryard East, Silvermines, Nenagh, in Co Tipperary, the oft-time home of singer Mr MacGowan and his family, was offered for public sale on June 9th, 2017. This sale followed on following the death of Mrs Therese MacGowan, mother of much loved singer, following a single-vehicle road crash in North Tipperary, on January 1st 2017.
A statement by MacGowan’s spokesperson confirmed that he had died peacefully at 3:30am this morning, November 30th with his wife Victoria and sister Siobhán by his side.
Shane MacGowan is survived by his wife Victoria, his father Maurice and sister Siobhán.
In ár gcroíthe go deo.
Amen
Vocals: by American R&B soul singer Andra Day.
Lyrics: American songwriter Lindy Robbins; American R&B soul singer, songwriter and actress Andra Day; British songwriter and music producer Alexander Reid and American singer-songwriter Lily Meola.
The Greek Old Testament Semitic root from which Amen is derived, usually translates its meaning as “so be it”; while in the English Bible it has frequently been rendered as “verily,” or “truly.”
Amen
I can’t remember why I’m feeling this way.
I guess I should be crying but my heart just won’t obey.
It feels strange to be happy as I lie here on the rooftop in the rain,
I say
Amen.
To all the crazy things that happened that made me who I am,
I say,
Amen.
To everyone who ever hurt me,
I’m stronger ’cause of them Amen.
I’m not worrying ’bout tomorrow,
I’m forgetting yesterday.
Just savouring the moment in this unfamiliar place,
And I’m feeling like the velvet in a beat-up guitar case,
And so, I’ll say,
I say Amen.
To all the crazy things that happened that made me who I am,
I say Amen.
To everyone who ever hurt me,
I’m stronger ’cause of them, Amen.
Oh, life is so bizzare,
Why do we have to be so hard on ourselves?
I think I found a way to smile and be OK with myself,
With myself.
Amen.
To all the crazy things that happened that made me who I am,
Amen.
To everyone who ever hurt me,
I’m stronger ’cause of them,
And I might have not the answers, but the questions make more sense,
Amen.
END
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