MY LOVELY SMILING BEAMISH BOY by John Spillane
by Donal Ó Drisceoil
November 2015; The other night I sang at the launch of a book, I sang a book into the world, and I had the right song for the occasion. My song is called MY LOVELY SMILING BEAMISH BOY and the book is called BEAMISH AND CRAWFORD – The Story of an Irish Brewery.
The Beamish Brewery closed it’s doors in 2009 after 217 years and the scent of malt evaporated for the last time from the air over the South Side of Cork City. There was an indescribable sadness about this. To tell you the truth my own mother Mary passed away around the same time and it seemed that all that was old and beautiful was disappearing from the world. The old Cork, the old crowd who were young when I was a child, the colorful characters of the City, the old laugh and the old smile.
There was a documentary made about the Brewery at that time and it was called MY BEAMISH BOY – Directed by Mike Hannon. Irene Buckley composed some lovely music for that and she recommended that I should compose a song for the film, and so I wrote my song and I called it MY LOVELY SMILING BEAMISH BOY.
This song has never been released and it has only existed so far as part of the film, and so I float it gently in your direction, gentle reader, and hope that you may enjoy it.
Here is John Spillane’s song;
MY LOVELY SMILING BEAMISH BOY
When you were young you wished to be,
Just like your dad a Beamish Boy,
In a happy family,
And your mother’s pride and joy,
Don’t you remember me at all?
Can’t you hear my lonesome call?
You always were my pride and joy!
My lovely smiling Beamish Boy!
The scent of malt hangs in the air,
And there is friendship everywhere,
A lonesome star hangs from the sky,
The holy river flows on by,
Don’t you remember me at all?
Can’t you hear my lonesome call?
You always were my pride and joy!
My lovely smiling Beamish Boy!
Don’t you remember me at all?
The Beamish Brewery standing tall?
But now a cloud hangs over town,
The Beamish Brewery has closed down…….
Congratulations to Diarmuid and Donal Ó Drisceoil on their brilliant book. God bless her and all who sail in her.
(Beamish stout is still being brewed, in Murphy’s Brewery, and still tastes good and strong and deep and Beamishy)
The much-loved two hundred year old brewery has shut its gates forever. As they reminisce, the ex-workers must come to terms with their grief at its closure. Suffused with bittersweet memories and wry affection, these are the stories of the famous Beamish and Crawford Brewery. All things must end, but the human spirit persists.
My Beamish Boy (director Mike Hannon), a half hour documentary on the people and stories of the closed Beamish & Crawford brewery, is to be broadcast on RTE One on Monday, June 7th at 7pm.
Part funded by Cork City Council Arts Office, the documentary is an affectionate piece of social history, recording the anecdotes, memories and feelings of many of the Beamish workers, as well as the unique traditions and character of the brewery itself.
The film was shot in 2009 around the time of the brewery’s closure and features creative contributions from some of the Beamish staff, including David Creedon’s photographs of the brewery interior. Johnny McCarthy, who was a fourth generation Beamish worker, and his son Cormac play flute and cello respectively, with Hugh McCarthy (cello) on the original soundtrack which was composed by Irene Buckley and on an original song, My Lovely Smiling Beamish Boy, written by John Spillane for the film. The documentary was produced by Pat Comerford.
The much-loved two hundred year old brewery in Cork, Ireland, shut its gates forever in March 2009. As they reminisce, the ex-workers must come to terms with their grief at its closure. Suffused with bittersweet memories and wry affection, these are the stories of the famous Beamish and Crawford Brewery. All things must end, but the human spirit persists.
The film received the Made in Cork award for Best Short Film at the Corona Cork Film Festival 2009, and was broadcast on Irish national TV in June 2010.
Featuring
Jack Callanan / Johnny McCarthy / Pat Bourke / David Creedon / Liam Huggins / Dick Duff / Kevin O’ Donovan / Larry O’ Neill / Rhona O’ Leary / Ann Murray / Jim Cox / Kevin White
Music composed by Irene Buckley
My Lovely Smiling Beamish Boy
Written by John Spillane
Performed by John Spillane, Cormac McCarthy, Hugh McCarthy, Johnny McCarthy,
Produced by Johnny McCarthy
Courtesy of EMI Ireland Ltd
Copyright IMRO/MCPS John Spillane 2009
“The Last Cooper” photographs courtesy of David Creedon
Special thanks to Christy O’ Keeffe / An Spailpin Fanac / Ed Hinchy / John Sheehan Photography / Murray Ó Laoire Architects / Cork Film Centre
Supported by Cork City Council
Produced by Pat Comerford
Directed and edited by Mike Hannon
Jörgen Hartogs 