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Article: The woman behind the Man From God Knows Where
- Article from:
- Belfast Telegraph
- Article date:
- June 7, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2003 Belfast Telegraph. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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"Into our townland on a night of snow rode a man from god knows
where...."
THUS the famous opening lines of the classic Irish ballad ,The Man
From God Knows Where, written in 1918 by a Co Down housewife of
radical and literary inclination, Florence Mary Wilson.
It is the evocative and dramatic story of the United Irishman,
Thomas Russell, who was hanged in Downpatrick jail after his
unsuccessful attempt to raise a second Presbyterian rebellion in Co
Down in 1803.
Its 13 verses capture the turbulent atmosphere of the period
perfectly and, 85 years after its composition, the ballad remains a
firm favourite for bar counter and dinner table reciters throughout
Ireland and beyond. It is a kind of ...