thumb|250px|Bronze figure of Percy French in the main square of [[Ballyjamesduff]]

William Percy French (1 May 1854 – 24 January 1920) was an Irish songwriter, author, poet, entertainer and painter.

Life

French was born at Clooneyquinn House, near Tulsk, County Roscommon, the son of an Anglo-Irish landlord, Christopher French, and Susan Emma French (née Percy). He was the third of nine children. His younger sister, Emily later Emily de Burgh Daly was also a writer.

He was educated in England at Kirk Langley and Windermere College before going to Foyle College in Derry and wrote his first successful song while studying at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in 1877 for a smoking concert. The song, "Abdul Abulbul Amir", was published in 200 copies for £5 and French sold each copy for 2s6d, making a small fortune. However, he fatally omitted to register the copyright on the song and lost all the subsequent income from the royalties as it was re-published without his name. The royalties were restored to his widow and daughters after his death.

Although he lost copyright, French always claimed authorship and did so on the sleeve of his song "Slattery's Mounted Fut" (1889) and in every issue of the weekly The Jarvey. Brendan O'Dowda claimed to have discovered, via the popularity of versions of the song at the American military academies in the 1980s, that French had written the lyrics while at Trinity College. He claimed responsibility for the restoration of the royalties in the 1980s. Ettie French gives a different account of how the royalties were restored in her book Willie (1995) about her father's life. She claimed the royalties were restored in the 1940s to the family. The ballad resembles a comic opera spoof. "Pot Skivers" were the chambermaids at the college, thus Ivan "Potschjinski" Skivar would be a less than noble prince, and as Bulbul is an Arabic dialectic name of the nightingale, Abdul was thus a foppish "nightingale" amir (prince). When French died, not at all wealthy, he was owed a fortune in unpaid royalties. A windfall in royalties came to his family in the 1940s from "Abdullah Abulbul Ameer" and "Phil the Fluter's Ball". Slattery's Mounted Foot, and The Mountains of Mourne (this last was one of several written with his friend, stage partner and fellow composer, Houston Collisson). a song ridiculing the state of the rail system in rural County Clare caused such embarrassment to the rail company that – according to a persistent local legend – it led to a libel action against French. According to the story, French arrived late at the court, and when questioned by the judge he responded "Your honour, I travelled by the West Clare Railway", resulting in the case being thrown out.

In January 1920, when he was 65 years old, French became ill while performing in Glasgow. He died from pneumonia in Formby, in the dioceses of Liverpool, England at the home of his cousin, Canon Richardson of Green Lea, College Avenue, on 24 January 1920. His grave is in the churchyard of St Luke's Church, Formby, Merseyside.

Memorials

In 1988, The Oriel Gallery sponsored a seat erected by the OPW opposite 35 Mespil Road, on the canal, Dublin. French lived there from 1894 to 1900 with his second wife and family. When he moved there, he sent out a communication to his friend: 'We have come to live by the canal, Do drop in!'

A sculpture of a park bench and plaque depicting his likeness by Brid Ni Rinn was installed on the spot where French was inspired to write "The Mountains of Mourne" in Red Island Park, Skerries, County Dublin, in 2008.

A statue of French sitting on a park bench in the town centre of Ballyjamesduff honours him and his song Come Back, Paddy Reilly, to Ballyjamesduff.

In March 2020, a memorial to French was unveiled in Newcastle, County Down, at the site of the Slieve Donard Hotel at the foot of the Mountains of Mourne, to mark the centenary of his death.

Songs

The following songs are attributed to Percy French:

  • Abdul Abulbul Amir (1877)
  • Andy McElroe (1888)
  • Are Ye Right There Michael? (1897)
  • Father O'Callaghan (1910)
  • Fighting McGuire
  • Flanagan's Flying Machine (1911)
  • The Fortunes of Finnegan
  • The Girl on a Big Black Mare
  • The Hoodoo (1910)
  • I Fought a Fierce Hyena
  • Jim Wheelahan's Automobeel
  • The Kerry Courting (1909)
  • The Killyran Wrackers (1914)
  • Kitty Gallagher
  • Larry Mick McGarry (1915)
  • Little Brigid Flynn
  • Maguire's Motor Bike (1906)
  • The Mary Ann McHugh
  • Mat Hannigan's Aunt (1892)
  • McBreen's Heifer
  • The Mountains of Mourne (1896) It is also known as "The Iveagh Percy French" as it came from the Guinness family collection. The story goes that the purchaser had "buyer's remorse", and the painting was purchased immediately by a gallerist. Some ten days after this auction, the Apollo Gallery sold this iconic painting on to an American collector for €65,000.

Oliver Nulty (d. 2005) established the Oriel Gallery in Clare Street, Dublin in 1868, which opened with a Percy French and George Russell exhibition. Nulty promoted French from the day he opened the gallery in 1968 and mounted at least 15 solo exhibitions of French and several group shows featuring French, one opened by Peter Ustinov. Nulty had been a collector for years before opening a gallery but he had a particularly fondness for French as his parents had met French in London in 1913 when they attended one of his matinees and met him afterwards. Nulty noticed that Irish visual art was neglected. He once witnessed that a George Russel had only been sold when a coal scuttle was thrown into the lot which sold for 2/6. As well as mounting several solo exhibitions of French's paintings he published several catalogues of French's watercolours. French's daughters, Joan and Ettie were regular visitors to the Oriel Gallery from the early 1970s and the gallery possesses their letters to Oliver. Peter Ustinov opened the 1986 French exhibition in the Oriel to a thronged audience.

French's archive currently resides in the North Down Museum, Bangor, County Down where researchers are welcome to view material by appointment with the museum.

Bibliography

  • Emily de Burg Daly : Chronicles and Poems of Percy French, with an introduction by Katharine Tynan (Dublin: Talbot Press, 1922).
  • Emily de Burg Daly Daly: Prose, Poems and Parodies of Percy French, with an introduction by Alfred Perceval Graves (Dublin: Talbot Press, 1929; 3/1962).
  • James N. Healy: Percy French and his Songs (Cork: Mercier Press, 1966).
  • Brendan O'Dowda: The World of Percy French (Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1981; 3/1997).
  • Alan Tongue: A Picture of Percy French (Belfast: Greystone Books, 1990).
  • Ettie French: Willie: A Tribute to Percy French (Holywood, County Down: Percy French Society, 1994).
  • Oliver Nulty (ed. by Bernadette Lowry): Lead Kindly Light. Celebrating 150 Years of Percy French (Dublin: Oriel Gallery Dublin Gallery, 2002).
  • Berrie O'Neill: Tones that are Tender: Percy French, 1854–1920 (Dublin: Lilliput Press, 2016).

See also

  • Culture of Ireland
  • Music of Ireland

References

  • The Percy French Summer School, Roscommon
  • Percy French at theoriel.com
  • Example of painting by Percy French
  • The Mountains Of Mourne Sweep Down To The Sea – Feature
  • Sculpture of Percy French by Alan Hall
  • Directions to Percy French's Birthplace
  • The Percy French 100 Years Events page 1920-2020