"Garryowen" is an Irish tune for a jig dance. It has become well known as a marching tune in Commonwealth and American military units, most famously George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry Regiment.

History

Garryowen (from the Irish Garraí Eoin, meaning Saint John's Court) is the name of a neighbourhood in Limerick. The song emerged during the late 18th century when it was a drinking song of young roisterers in the city. An alternate title is "Let Bacchus's Sons Be Not Dismayed."

Sung to the tune "Auld Bessie", it obtained immediate popularity in the British Army through the 5th (or Royal Irish) Regiment of Dragoons.

It was published with additional lyrics in Thomas Moore's 1808 "Irish Melodies." Beethoven composed two arrangements of the song during 1809–1810 (published 1814–1816 in W.o.O. 152 and W.o.O. 154) with the title, "From Garyone my Happy Home," with lyrics by T. Toms, on romantic themes. The arrangements were part of a large project by George Thomson to engage prominent composers of his time to write arrangements of the folk songs of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The composer Mauro Giuliani arranged the tune in Arie Nazionali Irlandesi nr.1-6 Op.125 (Six Irish Airs). The Bohemian composer Ignaz Moscheles included the tune in his op. 89 Souvenirs de l'Irlande, "Recollections of Ireland" for solo piano and orchestra.

British military units

A very early reference to the tune appears in the publication The Life of the Duke of Wellington by Jocquim Hayward Stocqueler, published in 1853. He describes the defence of the town of Tarifa during the Peninsular War, late December 1811. General Hugh Gough, commanding officer of the 87th Regiment (later the Royal Irish Fusiliers), under attack by French grenadiers, drew his sword, tossed his scabbard and called on his men to stand with him until the enemy should walk over their bodies. The troops responded with the "Garryowen." The song is heard several times throughout the Warner Bros. movie The Fighting 69th (1940), starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, and Alan Hale, Sr., which chronicles the World War I exploits of the regiment.

7th Cavalry

It later became the marching tune for the American 7th Cavalry Regiment during the late 19th century. The tune was brought to the 7th Cavalry by Brevet Colonel Myles Keogh and other officers with relations to the 5th Royal Irish Lancers and the Papal Guard. As the story goes, it was the last song played for Custer's men as they left General Terry's column at the Powder River.

The 7th Cavalry became a part of the 1st Cavalry Division in 1921. The word "Garryowen" was used often during the Vietnam War by soldiers of the 1st Cavalry as a password to identify each other. It became the official tune of the division in 1981. The words Garry Owen now form part of the regimental crest.

The tune became the name for bases established by the cavalry in various conflicts. The most recent was Contingency Operating Site Garry Owen in the Maysan Province of Iraq. FOB Garryowen was established in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 8–10 in June 2008 by the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment. There was also a Camp Garry Owen north of Seoul, Korea, which housed part of the 4th Squadron of the 7th Cavalry.

Theodore Roosevelt considered it "the greatest fighting tune in the world."

References

Sources

  • GlobalSecurity.org (2004) 4th Squadron 7th Cavalry Regiment Retrieved
  • Lewis Winstock, Songs & Music of the Redcoats, 1642–1902, (1970)
  • Walter Wood, The Romance of Regimental Marches, (1932)
  • 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers connection to the early history of Garryowen: Royal Irish Lancers
  • 1st Squadron 7th Cavalry (history, song, etc.): US Army site
  • 1st Cavalry Division (history): US Army site
  • General Information: (2004.03.17) The "American Soldier" blog, no name or expertise cited, but the information is well written, complete and meshes with other sources. Retrieved 2004.12.10.
  • Beethoven's arrangements for piano trio: