Christy Moore started in the music business in the mid-sixties, when his life as a bank clerk was interrupted by a bank strike, and he moved to England. There he became involved in the folk music scene at the time, and spent a few years playing pubs and clubs around the country.
His return to Ireland was marked by the album 'Prosperous', which proved to be a milestone in the rapprochement of Irish music to the popular mainstream. This album benefited from a collaboration of the leading talents of contemporary folk music, musicians such as Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn, and this one-off was to lead to the formation of Planxty, a band who were soon to be at the leading edge of the revival of Irish traditional music.
Over the following years the musical status of Planxty became legendary both in Ireland, Britain and throughout Europe. However in 1974 the band split up to pursue solo projects. It was during this period that Christy continued to explore new ground as a solo artist recording a number of solo albums including 'The Iron Behind the Velvet' (TARACD2002) which featured Andy Irvine and 'Live in Dublin' (TARACD2005) with Donal Lunny.
The original Planxty lineup of Christy, Andy, Liam and Donal then reformed in 1979. They recorded two further albums with Tara Records 'After the Break' (TARACD3001) and 'The Woman I Loved So Well' (TARACD3005). There were several additions and changes to their lineup most notably the addition of Matt Molloy, flautist from The Bothy Band, who later joined The Chieftains, and Bill Whelan.
In 1981 Planxty performed a Bill Whelan arrangement called 'Timedance' as the intermission piece for the Eurovision song contest, held that year in Ireland. Later it was released as a single and is now included on Bill's CD of 'The Seville Suite' (TARACD3030) released by Tara in 1992.
In the eighties Christy again teamed up with Donal Lunny to form Moving Hearts, another ambitious and innovative Irish band which sought to mix jazz into the folk-rock fusion. Ever the wanderer, Christy was soon breaking out on his own again, and it was in the eighties that he began to establish himself as one of Ireland's leading solo artists with a string of acclaimed albums and high profile tours.
In the mid-nineties Christy decided to take a break from the music for a few years. In the year 2000 Christy return to live performances with a series of Dublin concerts. Over the last few years he has released a number of solo projects including a television series, a live album and a 6 CD boxset.
Van Diemen's Land
Christy Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were hoping that we'd get some game the night it being dark
To our sad misfortune they captured us with speed
And they brought us down to Warwick jail
It caused our hearts to bleed
Young Men all be aware, lest you be drawn into a snare
Come Monday morning at the court we did appear
Like Job we stood with patience our sentence to hear
Our sentence was for fourteen years straight away
Being sent on board
The ship that bore us from the land the Speedwell was her name
For full five months and upwards we ploughed the ragin′ main
We saw no land nor harbour I tell you it's no lie
All around us one Black Ocean above us one Blue Sky
About the Fifth of August its then that we made land
And at 5 o'clock next morning they tied us hand to hand
To see our fellow sufferance, it filled me heart with woe
There′s some chained to the harrow and others to the plough
To see our fellow sufferance filled me with despair
They′d leather smocks and Lindsay shorts their feet
And hands were bare
They tied them up two by two like horses in a dray
And the ganger he stood over them with his Malacca cane
There was a female servant there Rosanna was her name
For 16 years a convict from Wolverhampton came
She often told her tale of love when she was young at home
Now its rattling of her chains in a foreign land to roam
So, come all of you young poaching lads and a warning take from me
Mark you well the story that I tell and guard your destiny
It's all about transported lads as you must understand
The hardships we did undergo going to Van Diemen′s land
The lyrics to Christy Moore's song Van Diemen's Land tell the story of a group of young men who go out poaching in Squire's Park one night but are unfortunately caught and sent to Warwick jail. They appear in court on Monday morning and are sentenced to fourteen years of transportation to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania, Australia). The ship that carries them across the sea is called the Speedwell, and they endure a grueling five-month journey with no land in sight. When they finally arrive, they are tied hand to hand and put to work alongside other convicts, including a female servant named Rosanna who has been a convict for sixteen years. The song ends with a warning to young men to be aware of the consequences of their actions and to guard their destiny.
The lyrics to Van Diemen's Land are based on a true story. The song was written by Richard Thompson, with additional lyrics by Christy Moore, and was inspired by the diary of Irish convict John Boyle O'Reilly. O'Reilly was transported to Western Australia in 1868 for his involvement in a Fenian plot to overthrow British rule in Ireland. Like the young men in the song, O'Reilly endured a long voyage across the ocean and was put to work alongside other convicts upon his arrival.
Line by Line Meaning
Me and three more went out one night into the Squire′s Park
I went out with three others into the Squire's Park, hoping to hunt game at night.
To our sad misfortune they captured us with speed
Unfortunately, we were quickly captured by authorities.
And they brought us down to Warwick jail
It caused our hearts to bleed
They brought us to Warwick jail, which broke our hearts.
Young Men all be aware, lest you be drawn into a snare
Young men, be careful not to be ensnared in a trap.
No jury, bail nor witness our case it did go hard
We didn't have a jury, bail or witnesses, which made our case difficult.
Our sentence was for fourteen years straight away
Being sent on board
We were immediately sentenced to 14 years of transportation and sent on a ship.
We saw no land nor harbour I tell you it's no lie
All around us one Black Ocean above us one Blue Sky
We sailed for five months without seeing any land or harbors. The ocean was dark, and the sky was blue.
To see our fellow sufferance, it filled me heart with woe
There′s some chained to the harrow and others to the plough
It broke my heart to see my fellow prisoners suffering, some of them chained to the harrow, and others to the plough.
They tied them up two by two like horses in a dray
They tied two prisoners together, like horses to a dray.
And the ganger he stood over them with his Malacca cane
The ganger stood over them with his Malacca cane, ready to punish any disobedience.
So, come all of you young poaching lads and a warning take from me
Mark you well the story that I tell and guard your destiny
Young poaching lads, listen to my story and be warned to guard your destiny.
It's all about transported lads as you must understand
The hardships we did undergo going to Van Diemen′s land
My story is about the hardships that transported lads like us face when going to Van Diemen's land.
Writer(s): Dave Evans, Paul David Hewson, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen
Contributed by Isabella Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Oisin feehilly
on By Barna
Hellow Lady, Can I borrow your teddy
Samuel Joseph Donnelly
on Whacker Humphries
Ask "whacker" about the Provo they marched on and set up for votes in council elections- set up by a brasser from the Barn named Lilly Healy- 18 fucking years in blocks/cages/ torture centres and back stabbed by wannabes from Dublin! Between Active service ( killing etc whacker in case you didn't know!!
Chloe Mcl
on Hey Paddy
Is that the words Brendan O'Carroll sing