THE ROSE OF TRALEE

THE ROSE OF TRALEE

Rose of Tralee stoneware clay sculpture

While in Ireland, I was amazed at how many times I heard the song, “The Rose of Tralee.” Even though I remember hearing it often growing up in an ethnic community of Italians, Greeks, Romanians and Irish, it took on new meaning to me as I traveled through the small town of Tralee and heard the story of the song.

Rose of Tralee sculpture viewed from the back

Here is a summary of the story:

There was a girl named Mary O’conner who grew up very poor. She became the housemaid to a rich family and fell in love with one of the sons, William. They loved each other and he asked her to marry him repeatedly but she knew he would grow to resent her because his entire family would not approve of the marriage since they were in a different class.

He wrote a song for her but she still refused to marry him.

The pale moon was rising above the green mountains,
The sun was declining beneath the blue sea,
When I strayed with my love by the pure crystal fountain,
That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee.

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,
Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me.
Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning
That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

One night, William was with Mary when a friend burst through the door and told William that he was accused of murdering another man at a rally. There was a large reward for his capture. William vowed to come back to Mary and then he fled to India where he lived for six years. Finally, he made it back to Tralee. He was getting ready to find Mary when he looked out of the window and saw a funeral procession going by. It was a very large procession and almost everyone in the town was there. When he asked someone who it was, they told him it was Mary O’Conner. They said she was loved by the entire town because she was such a pure, good person. She never refused anyone of anything. William’s heart was broken. He was completely crushed and mourned her for the rest of his life. William moved to New York and many years later, he finally married and had children but he always held Mary in his heart. When his wife died, he moved back to Tralee and was buried next to Mary in the graveyard in Clogherbrien.

Close-up of preserved flower technique used on cloak

I decided to name my sculpture after Mary. I must tell you about her cloak. I got the inspiration for this from Lynn at Her Creative Spirit. Lynn experimented with waxed paper and preserved flowers after reading about it in one of the craft magazines. She posted the method she used and later showed some of the creations she made. I asked her if it was ok if I borrowed the idea for a cloak I had in mind for a sculpture and she told me to go for it since it wasn’t her idea in the first place. I’m always amazed how we as artists can take a technique we learn and change it into our own visions. Lynn is such an inventive artist. I love the bookmarks that she made with her flowers.

View from the left side

If you are interested in more information about my Rose of Tralee sculpture, you can view her on Etsy, where I have placed her for sale. I take all the major credit cards, paypal or a check.

Marcy, my granddaughter, made this UTube video of the night we went to the pub to hear Sadie and Paddy. Paddy is an Irish tenor and what a voice. I fell in love with the story of “The Rose of Tralee” and now when I hear Paddy sing it, tears come to my eyes. Maybe you would have to have been there, in Ireland, in Tralee to really appreciate it though.

Hope you don’t end up with the song running through your brain the way I have the last several weeks.

Here is a picture from my journey. Perhaps you can use this in your own artwork. It is of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. The wind is fierce and the sea crashes in on the rugged boulders. Nature at it’s finest.

Cliffs of Moher

Marcy at the Cliffs of Moher