lyrics

The Sunshine State by prolific Queensland composer Clyde Collins was written for the centenary of Queensland in 1959. It is still performed regularly by bands and choirs, especially on Queensland Day, 6 June. The State Library owns the Clyde Collins Papers, a collection of his musical compositions, arrangements, and writings. Songwriter, harmonicist, and clarinetist Horrie Dargie (1917-1999) recorded the song in 1959 with the famous Horrie Dargie Quintet. The quintet’s farewell concert in Sydney Town Hall before their tour of England (1952) became Australia’s first Gold Record, selling 75,000 copies. Source: www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/sunshine-state

Mary Elizabeth Egan; Egan-Mulry, M.; born in 1863 Morganstown, County Roscommon, Ireland; died 1934 Charters Towers, Queensland; She came to Australia in 1886 with her brother John when she was in her early twenties to settle in Brisbane. Mulry traveled extensively through the Commonwealth as a freelance journalist, contributing to numerous Australian newspapers and periodicals. Apart from her novels and poems, she also composed the words and music for romantic songs including 'Rosebuds' and patriotic songs, including 'Austral Heroes' and 'Our Boys at the Front' under the name of Egan-Mulry.) www.austlit.edu.au/run?ex=ShowAgent&agentId=A%2bHr Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.: 1878 - 1954) 19 Jul 1932. Retrieved from Trove on 27 Jul 2011 p. 6 (Miss Egan-Mulry Here novelist, composer, only woman publisher ... her next novel, which will be named 'Parted' ... Queensland poetess ... Miss Egan-Mulry made her first 'public appearance' in 1918 when she composed the song 'Our boys at the front.' Her next compositions were 'Rosheen,' 'Shamrock leaves,' 'Rosebuds,' 'Glorious Australia,' and 'The woodlands,' 'Austral heroes' written at the time of the Armistice ... Her best-known books are 'The Nobleman Jackeroo ' and 'Thc mystery of Thornfield Station' ... Miss Egan-MuIry claims to be the only woman publisher in Australia. ... nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55496638 Source: librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au/search/display?dbid=auth&am...

WOW!!! What a lovely photograph of the mother and her son. I could look at that all day and marvel at the image. A poet in his finery with the loving mother by his side, dressed in their day to day clothes and posing for the gentleman/woman with the camera. Look at the hat on the ground, at the weather beaten skin on their faces and hands, the long strong fingers of the man and the well worn shoes on the pair of them? Magic!

Swordscookie And her wedding ring has become very loose on her fingers as they've shrunk with age... Did check to see if we have a copy of that poem in our collections, but if we do, it's not individually catalogued. Maybe in our collections of street poems and ballads.

On Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Brigid's_Well it says that a wandering poet once wrote - "On St Brigid’s Eve, as night fell, My mother and I went to Saint Brigid’s Well, Where the candles do burn and the great walls do shine on the graves of the dead and the vaults of O’Brien" Could those be the words of our Poet friend above? It would be great to find out and get the entire text.

great old photography ...

Swordscookie Wouldn't that be amazing?