If You're Irish Come Into The Parlour

Album: When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1919)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This uptempo song was co-written by Irishman Shaun Glenville and Welshman Fred Godfrey. Godfrey (1880-1953) was a time serving songwriter whose hits include "Bless 'Em All" and "Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty." Shaun Glenville was born John Browne in 1884, the son of Mary Browne née Lynch, who managed the Mechanics Theatre, Dublin.

    Godfrey wrote over 900 songs, including a large number of specifically Irish songs, and liked to claim this was because his mother was Irish, but his grandson, Barry Norris of New Brunswick, Canada, who has researched Godfrey's life in considerable depth, points out that his father was Welsh, his mother English, and his "Irish" songs, "like any of his others, were knocked off to feed the insatiable public demand for such material."

    Glanville was married to the actress Dorothy Ward, who recorded a number of Godfrey's other songs.

    "If You're Irish Come Into The Parlour" was published by B. Feldman of London. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England
  • The song proved immediately popular when first published in 1919 and has seen many recorded versions over the years. Perhaps the most well known is by Irish singer Ruby Murray, who included it on her 1955 album, When Irish Eyes are Smiling.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Krishna Das

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.