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Charlotte Hoather and Marcus Kitchen

I arrived home last night on the train from Glasgow and it was a little too late to check my video and write this post.  So I was up early before work and managed to upload this performance of Danny Boy from my concert in St. Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Edinburgh. I am just on my tea break so I thought I would finish the post and let you have a listen 🙂

 Danny Boy is a ballad written by English songwriter Frederic Weatherly in 1910.  It was set to the tune of ‘Londonderry Air’ in 1913.

The musical genre is ‘Folk Song’.  There are a few variations to the lyrics and various theories to the meaning, I feel that it’s a message from a girl saying goodbye to her boyfriend as he’s going off to war.

I hope you enjoy it 🙂

145 thoughts on “Danny Boy”

    1. Hi Jan and Stephen, your beachfront boutique looks fabulous in a beautiful location. I love this dress I paid full price for it in Glasgow so my Mum (who is the best bargain hunter ever) says I have to wear it to destruction 🙂

      Thanks for the compliment,
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Hello Patricia, I’m happy you enjoyed the song. Doing ten songs in a program was quite exciting I usually only perform six to eight songs in two sets, it was also challenging to remember all the introductions for the songs and all the correct lyrics. It was fabulous experience and a lovely Cathedral to perform in with a lovely audience.

      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. I love it when I hear “bravo” from the audience, I usually only get it when I sing Art is Calling for Me because it is such a comic song. I will try to load a version for you. Love your photos too, I love visiting art galleries in the UK.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply
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  8. I LOVE IT CHARLOTTE!!!!!! This was my granddad’s favourite song and he was always singing it or whistling the tune. Made me shiver listening to your beautiful voice singing it. And, Marcus you did a great job too, well done both of you. xx

    Reply

    2. Thanks Gilly, Marcus had a real challenge playing all of these pieces too, a couple of them he practiced in Scotland while I was at home and we only had a couple of run-throughs together the weekend before.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thank you Tim, the concert was free entry for the public to chime with your post of yesterday and organised by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, I’m so pleased that I volunteered to do it, I had a fabulous day. We were very grateful to get our train fare covered from Glasgow to Edinburgh and a lunch in the Cathedral’s Café as we weren’t expecting that.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thank you, regarding performance anxiety I feel the more practise you get playing in front of others the better it helps you to overcome it, if they can stand my exasperation if the piano piece doesn’t go right that is 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  13. I know I’ve been following your blog for about a week or so, but this is the first chance I’ve had to actually watch/listen to one of the videos. You have a beautiful voice, and I also like the dress. I was going to ask who the pianist was (he is good), but I see it’s in the other comments. I didn’t realize Danny Boy has only been around since 1910, thanks for the historical information.

    Reply

    1. Good luck with your new blog site and thanks for spending the time to leave your lovely comment on mine. Marcus is a fellow student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland he is a tenor as well as being a pianist.

      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thanks Mr Toot, I’m glad I bought back happy memories of your Dad. I love it that you love your job as a children’s entertainer, I had some fabulous parties at the local church hall, my family organised all the events themselves, my mum used to cook loads of hot dogs and bake cakes but we always got an entertainer because I used to invite so many friends. My Dad often dressed up in a character costume to help the entertainer, the Power Ranger wasn’t his favourite as he got lots of karate kicks which was quite funny because he actually is a black belt and just had to block the kicks 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

      1. Thanks Charlotte. 🙂 Entertaining certainly is a rewarding job; the best job I think. As your Dad discovered, sometimes the children can have a little too much fun with characters; and with me it’s the fact they love my clown shoes, and for some reason love to stomp on them. Thankfully they’re made of leather and quite tough.

        Sounds like you have fond memories, which is so nice, and you come from a very creative family, which makes such a difference to choices in life.
        My father was a singer at pubs and talent quests during the 1960s 70s and 80s (country music) and he loved the fact that I’m an entertainer too, although somewhat different to what he did. (He was very funny, so maybe that’s where I got some of the clown character from)

        My fondest memory is of him singing ‘Danny Boy’ to me when I was 18; he had an old guitar and lived on a boat at the time, and it’s a memory I’ll never forget. Thanks again for sharing this song, and your amazing talent, and all the best with your career.

        Cheers, Danny (Mr. Toot)

    1. Hi Colin, that’s quite a compliment thank you. I am very self-critical and now I have these recordings I can review my live performances to target improvements, it will be interesting to see these songs recorded again at the end of year 2,3 and 4 to see if my voice/performance changes significantly. I am so looking forward to getting back to College and getting stuck in again with Kath, my teacher 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Hi, it’s a beautiful song to sing, very emotive, I could hear the audience sigh ‘ahh’, in anticipation before I began, after announcing what I was going to sing. Tom took the photo and did the recording he did a good job.

      Warmest Wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thank you David 🙂 Are you in the UK? I ask because fracking has been in the news a lot and my brother has been discussing it with us and I noticed your post.
      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Hi Bob thanks for the lovely message, I appreciate you taking the time to listen especially if your not an Opera fan ;). I’m posting Art is Calling For Me tonight which is from a comic opera if I can tempt you to take a peak… 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thank you for visiting from Romania, it’s great that your blog translates into English, although I learned a Czech aria called Ruselka “Mesicku na nebi hlubokem’, I’ve not sung in Romanian yet 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  28. Very beautiful Charlotte. I’ve heard the song a dozens of times with the Irish Lismorahaun Singers and even a Danish choir was taught to sing it in Irish for their tour to Ireland. Always a beautiful and very moving song.

    Reply

    1. Thanks Hanne, my Dad’s friend was from Ireland his name was Mr Jackie Rae, before my Dad met him, he was the Manager of a great cabaret venue called “Talk of the North” in Salford near Manchester. When he and Dad worked together Jackie would sing or whistle Danny Boy all the time and that’s why I learned it this year after it was suggested as a good folk song to learn.

      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply

  29. Thank you, Heather, for sharing your beautiful voice! I love that song. My oldest grandson’s name is Daniel. You are incredibly talented and listening to you gives me goosebumps! It is wonderful that you get to travel all over the world to perform. If you ever get to New England USA please let me know. Best wishes! Janice

    Reply

    1. Hi Janice, Thank you ;). My Mum says that she thinks the song is more about a parent or grandparent singing to their son or grandson, going off to war, worrying that they may be dead and gone before he returns, but keeping their dream alive that he will return safe. I’d love to get to the States to sing who knows; in the meantime I hope you enjoy my video blogs.

      All the best
      Charlotte.

      Reply

  36. There are not many times I’m at a complete loss for words. Angelic seems to fit yet not do justice to incredible performance. I can’t wait to share with my parents who left Scotland 60 years ago. I know my Scottish blood was flowing listening to you. Thanks so much for sharing your gift! Your new Big fan!

    Reply

    1. Thanks a lot Todd, even though I’ve only been in Scotland for a year it is a beautiful place and very friendly and welcoming, I’m really looking forward to my next three years there. Do you have a blog, your gravatar doesn’t link back to it.
      Hope you get the chance to pop back.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply
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    1. Awesome, I love that word, thank you very much, we don’t use ‘awesome’ very often in the UK but my lovely friend Danielle from California introduced it into my vocabulary this past year and I drop it in to conversations now 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply
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  43. Beautiful performance of a lovely song. My parents are Irish so this song does something particular for Irish people. Perhaps it is because so many of them left home and didn’t return.

    Reply

    1. Thank you, my paternal great grandmother left Ireland for Liverpool and settled in England and married into the Hoather family all those years ago so I know where you’re coming from.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  46. Such a beautiful rendition of this song…one of my favorites! You do the song such great justice, and this is easily my favorite 🙂 Absolutely beautiful.

    Reply

    1. Thank you Cindy, your gravatar doesn’t seem to be linking back to your blog? It’s interesting that you’re a park ranger, is that like a Countryside policewoman?
      Hope you get chance to pop back.
      Charlotte

      Reply

  48. Hello Charlotte,

    What a way to start the day, I was born and raised in Ireland with this song having a great deal of meaning to me. Your voice is beautiful, such a moving rendition.

    I also want to thank you for following “Beyond The Cracked Window” I am honored.

    Stephen.

    Reply

    1. Hi Stephen,
      I did AS level maths, and whenever I had an Irish folk song to sing in an Irish accent I used to ask Mr England to say certain words so I got as close as possible, perhaps I’ll have to learn Danny Boy with a Londonderry accent.
      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply

  50. Since I kinda requested it, thank you so much, it was even more fantastic than I expected. But I thought it was about a grandfather singing to his grandson.

    Reply

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