Enda Byrne sings 'Raglan Road'

A superb rendition of Raglan Road by Kilcullen's Enda Byrne can be listened to above writes Brian Byrne. 

The song is special to CPC student Enda because the original poem was written by Patrick Kavanagh for Hilda Moriarty in 1944, when they both lived on Raglan Road in Dublin.

Hilda was a medical student at the time, and Enda can trace back a relationship to her through his great-grandmother, who was a first cousin of Hilda's father.

Kavanagh's love for Hilda, then aged 22 to his 40 years, wasn't returned, though she enjoyed his company. Kavanagh thought the poem could be sung to the tune of The Dawning of the Day and in Dublin’s Bailey pub in 1964 he told balladeer Luke Kelly that he had a song for him. It soon became a standard in Luke’s repertoire.

Enda recorded the song at the Ivory Sessions studio, and it is produced by Mark Cahill who also plays the keyboard on the video.

Well worth a listen, several times over.

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