The story of Molly Malone is hardly an epic. A fishmonger of admirable proportions by day, Molly sold her wares by pushing her wheelbarrow all over Dublin. However during the night she was also a prostitute – and a successful one at that.
Unfortunately she fell ill and died young and now her ghost wanders Dublin’s streets accompanied by the eerie sounds of wooden cartwheels on cobbles. It’s fair to say that one shouldn’t expect the movie at anytime soon.
However the story of Molly Malone is the subject of one of Dublin’s most popular and catchy folk songs to the point where it’s commonly regarded as the city’s unofficial anthem. In fact, it’s almost impossible to watch any folk singers at a Dublin pub or hotel without ‘Molly Malone’ turning up at some point during their repertoire.
Many venues will even go as far as to provide each table with the lyrics so you can jump in and sing along with everyone else to your heart’s content. However if the lyrics are not conveniently placed in front of you, just join in with a few hearty alive-alive-o’s and you’ll soon be infected with the spirit of Dublin.
If you want to take your relationship with Molly Malone even further – why not pay her a visit? Her statue can be found at the top of Grafton Street and has been there since 1987 when it was erected to celebrate the city’s first millennium. Other popular drinking songs worth learning are ‘The Wild Rover’ and ‘I’ll tell me Ma’.
