“In Dublin’s Fair City, Where The Girls Are So Pretty, I First Set My Eyes on Sweet Molly Malone…”
These words will sound familiar to anyone who knows the Emerald Isle. The unofficial anthem of Ireland’s capital, Molly Malone or Cockles and Mussels is a world famous example of Irish folk music.
Alive, Alive-Oh!
The song tells the story of Molly Malone, who sells cockles and mussels in the market by day and plies a far less wholesome trade by night. The narrator recalls how the young woman sells her wares in the market with the simple but catchy refrain: “Cockles and Mussels, Alive Alive-Oh!” Tragically, Malone dies of a fever in the final verse. Her ghost wanders the streets of Dublin at night calling out the familiar lines.
An Irish Icon
In 1988, a statue on Grafton Street cemented Molly’s status as a national treasure. Placing it right in the heart of Dublin City. Designed by the celebrated sculptor Jeanne Rynhart, the statue depicts a beautiful young woman in typical 17th-century attire, pushing her wheelbarrow through the streets. In 2014, they relocated the statue to Suffolk Street, where you can now find her just outside the Tourism Office.
Locals have affectionately dubbed the beloved statue “The Tart With the Cart.”
Molly remains a firm a favorite among visitors to the capital although perhaps not for educational purposes.
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