Margaret Barry

Margaret Barry (1917–1989) was an Irish singer who had a major influence on traditional Irish musicians.

Biography

She was born Margaret Cleary on 1 January 1917 in Cork City. Many sources say that she came from a Traveller, a tinker, or even a Gypsy family. However, her birth certificate Her maternal grandfather, Bob Thompson, was a renowned uilleann piper who took first place at the Feiseanna Ceoil in Dublin and Belfast in 1897 and 1898. He was married to a Spanish guitar player and singer which might have contributed Gypsy blood. Other family members are said to have been "accomplished Traveller musicians and … street balladeers".

One song for which Barry is particularly noted is "She Moved Through the Fair". Asked by an interviewer, Karl Dallas, whether she had learned it from her family or from other Travellers, she replied cheerfully, "Oh, no. I got it off a gramophone record by Count John McCormack". The accompanying book to the Topic Records 70-year anniversary boxed set, Three Score and Ten, lists Her Mantle So Green as one of the classic albums and "The Factory Girl" from Street Songs and Fiddle Tunes of Ireland with Michael Gorman is track 9 on the third CD in the set.

A play, She Moved Through the Fair: The legend of Margaret Barry, co-written by Mary McPartlan and Colin Irwin had its debut in 2017 at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow, as part of the Celtic Connections Festival. Poet/songwriter, Frank Callery wrote a song for the centenary of Barry's birth. Singer/songwriter, Tim O'Riordan, wrote a song in celebration of Barry, "The Heart of the Song (for Margaret Barry)" and recorded it on the album Taibhse in 2018.

At the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards in 2019, Barry was inducted into the Hall of Fame by American singer Peggy Seeger.

Discography

Songs of an Irish Tinker Lady (Riverside RLP 12–602, 1956) Street Songs and Fiddle Tunes (Topic 10T6, 1957) – with Michael Gorman Ireland’s Queen Of The Tinkers Sings (Top Rank 25/020, 1960) The Blarney Stone (Prestige Irish, 1961) – with Michael Gorman Songs From the Hills of Donegal (Washington WV 731, 1962) Irish Music In London Pubs (Folkways FG 3575, 1965) – with Michael Gorman Her Mantle So Green (Topic 12T123, 1965) – with Michael Gorman Come Back Paddy Reilly (Emerald GEM 1003, 1968) Sing and Play (Folkways FW8729, 1975) Ireland's Own (Outlet SOLP 1029, 1976) I Sang Through The Fairs (Rounder 11661-1774-2, 1998) Travellin' People from Ireland (Emerald EMCD8004, 2001) – with Pecker Dunne Queen of the Gypsies (Emerald EMCD8004, 2007) The Definitive Collection (Songs of The Travelling People) (PMI, 2013)