This listing of songs written by Jimmy MacCarthy is based on his book Ride
On - In Song And Story.
[1st Ed. pub. 2002 TownHouse & CountryHouse Ltd © Copyright Jimmy
MacCarthy 2002 ISBN 1-86059-169-8]
For a review of the book, look at Nicky Rossiter's review on the Rambles
website.
The page number in Column 1 is from that book. Songs without a page number aren't listed in the book, and may have been written after it was published. Performers identified by initials in Column 3 are listed in a second table.
I've done what I can with limited information. Craig Bickhardt helped with information about work done in Nashville 1996. If anyone out there can help me with further information, please do so. I'd be very grateful too for copies of magazine articles etc about your man. What I desperately want to know, the songs not listed as performed, are there recordings?
I have all the albums and tracks listed below except those shown in bold italic purple. If anyone can provide me with any of those, or with any unlisted songs, please contact me - see my home page.
| Song Title (page in Ride On - In Song and Story) | Written | Performer |
| Adam At The Window (121) | =<1992 | Himself C, MB, |
| Ancient Rain (21) | early 1980s | Himself B, MC, |
As I Leave Behind Neidin (72) |
=<1985 | TF, MOC, MB |
| Baby's Broken Heart ( ) Note 1 | 2002? | Himself G |
| Bright Blue Rose, The (129) | =<1989 | Himself B,F, CM, MB, TF |
| Carrier Of Scandal, The (184) | =<1994 | Himself C |
| Change In A Minute ( ) Note 1 | 2002? | Himself G |
| Christian Telephone (103) | ? | |
| Contender, The (34) | 1983+ | Himself G, CM, TF, CT, HMC |
| Dance As Old As Tears, A ( ) Note 1 | 1996 | SK, TF |
| Diamond Days (94) | =<1985 | MB |
| Don't You Still Smile (41) | ~1980 | Himself G |
| Dreamer's Lament, The (140) | ? | |
| For Morris Desmond (84) | mid-1980s | |
| Greatest Song Of All, The (87) | early 1990s | Sung by Brian Kennedy, this was an unsuccessful candidate for Ireland's entry in Eurovision 2006. To be eligible, a song must be "unpublished", so that seems to indicate this song has never been recorded. |
| Grip Of Parallel, The (135) | =<1991 | Himself B, OBB |
| Guiding Star (65) | 1978 | |
| Hard Man To Follow, A (59) | mid 1980s | Himself B |
| Harlem (90) | 1987-90 | Himself C |
| Highest Point, The (189) | =<1994 | Himself C,H, TF |
| I Feel Like An Island (48) | ~1979-80 | |
| Juggler ( ) Note 1 | 2002? | Himself G |
| Katie (117) | 1983+ | MB |
| Last Word, The | =<1995 | FB |
| Letter to Hughie, A (69) | ? | |
| Lorraine (195) | =<1994 | Himself C |
| Love Divine (142) | =<1995 | MOC |
| Love Don't Fail Me (205) | =<2002 | Himself G |
| Love's Magic Bite | =<1995 | FB |
| Mad Lady & Me, The (25) | =<1987 | Himself B,D, CM, OBB, WD |
| Miles Of Eyes (46) | ~1979-80 | Himself A |
| Missing You (58) | mid 1980s | Himself B,H, CM |
| Moment, The Note 1 | 2002? | Himself G |
| Morning Of The Dreamer, The (159) | 1986+ | Himself C |
| Music Of Love, The (200) Note 1 | 2002? | Himself G |
| My Singing Bird (76) | late 1990s | Himself D,G |
| Mystic Lipstick (56) Note 2 | =<1989 | Himself B, CM, MOC |
| No Frontiers (152) | =<1991 | Himself B,C,H, MB, TC |
| November's Taboo (167) | oldest | |
| On Another Day (99) | =<1989 | MB |
| On My Enchanted Sight (177) | =<1991 | Himself B |
| Original Doubt (203) | =<2002 | Himself G |
| Parting, The (171) | ? | SK, MOC |
| People Of West Cork & Kerry, The (81) Note 3 | late 1990s | SK, SN |
| Perfect Present, The (191) | =<1994 | Himself C |
| Players in the Light (50) | ? | |
| Pyramids at Sneem, The (149) | ? | |
| Ride On (30) | =<1984 | Himself B,H, CM, MC, S, OBB, R |
| Rough Ride | =<1989 | BF |
| Sacred Places (161) | =<1994 | Himself C |
| Shadowy (197) | =<1994 | Himself C |
| Shuffle of the Buckled (53) | =<1989 | Himself A, MB |
| Sky Road, The (138) | 1994 | FB |
| Song Of The Singing Horseman, The (181) | =<1991 | Himself B |
| State of Heart (96) | =<1985 | MB |
| Still By Your Side () | 2005 | CT |
| Still In Love (215) | =<1997 | Himself G, MC |
| Strain Of The Dance, The (165) | 1980/81 | MH |
| Strange Thing () | =<1985 | MB |
| Sweet Victim () | =<1996 | MC |
| Switzerland In The Snow (112) | 1983+ | |
| That Face (37) | =<1997 | MC |
| There Is No Night () Note 1 | 1996 | Himself E |
| What We Came Here For (146) | ? | |
| Wonder Child (106) | 1992 | Himself C, MB, TV |
ABC etc Albums with songs performed by Jimmy MacCarthy
himself:
A First 45-rpm single (Mulligan LUNS-748, 1981) [Many thanks to
Helen K for sending me this disc, all the way from High Bank to Canberra.]
B The Song Of The Singing Horseman (Mulligan LUNCD053, 1991)
C The Dreamer (Sony Music 477997.2, 1994)
D Warmer For The Spark (Dara Records TORTV 094 CD, 1997)
E Cork Folk Festival Archive (CFFCD001, 2000)
F Christy Moore Uncovered - VHS-PAL (Sony Music 201544.2, 2001)
G The Moment (Ride On Records ROR CD004, 2002)
H Four For The Road (Sony Music 477996.2, 1994)
Note 1: Songs that were co-written:
Baby's Broken Heart
(with Gary Burr)
Change In A Minute
(with Tim Laws)
A Dance As Old As
Tears (with Kent Robbins during a visit by Jimmy to Nashville in 1996. Robbins died
in an automotive accident just after Christmas the following year.)
Juggler (with
Alan Roy Scott)
The Moment
(with Graham Lyle)
The Music of Love
(with Christopher Wall)
There Is No
Night (with Craig Bickhardt
during Jimmy's 1996 Nashville visit.)
Note 2: Liam O Muirthile has translated Mystic Lipstick into an
Irish language version, called Aisling Ghéar (Bitter Vision), which is
sung by Maura O'Connell on the album Éist (Dara Records TORTV 105 CD).
Note 3: The People of West Cork and Kerry was retitled From
West Cork to Derry, with revised lyrics, on Seán Keane's album The Man That I Am
(Grapevine GRACD 276, 2000).
Each of the following albums includes at least one of Jimmy MacCarthy's songs.
Performer |
Album |
| Jimmy MacCarthy (the man himself) |
The Song Of The Singing Horseman (1991); The Dreamer (1994); Warmer For The Spark - The Songs of Jimmy MacCarthy Vol1 (1997); Celtic Heartbeat - A Winter's Tale (1998); Cork Folk Festival Archive (2000?); Christy Moore Uncovered - VHS-PAL (2001); The Moment (2002) |
| Frances Black | The Sky Road (Celtic Heartbeat UD-53097, 1995); Warmer For The Spark - The Songs of Jimmy MacCarthy Vol1 (1997); The Best Of Frances Black (2000) |
| Mary Black | Without The Fanfare (Dara DARACD 016, 1985); By the Time It Gets Dark (1987); No Frontiers (Grapevine GRACD 009, 1989; Gifthorse D2-77308, 1989); The Best Of Mary Black (1990); Summer 1990; Babes in the Wood (1991); The Collection (1992); Bringing it All Back Home Vol1 (1994); Absolute Irish (1995); Looking Back (1995); Circus (1995); Wonder Child (1996); The Grapevine Label '96; Take My Hand (1997); Warmer For The Spark - The Songs of Jimmy MacCarthy Vol1 (1997); Heart of Ireland (1997); Celtic Moods (1997); Best Of Mary Black 1991-2000; Mary Black Live - CD/DVD (MRA D0337, 2003); Best of Celtic (2003) |
| The Black Family | Time for Touching Home (1989) |
| The Celtic Tenors | So Strong (??), We Are Not Islands (2005) |
| The Corrs | Unplugged (1999) |
| Mary Coughlan | Under The Influence (1987); Love Me Or Leave Me (1994); Live In Galway (1996); Warmer For The Spark - The Songs of Jimmy MacCarthy Vol1 (1997); After The Fall (1997) |
| Tommy Fleming | Warmer For The Spark - The Songs of Jimmy MacCarthy Vol1 (1997); The Contender (2000); Live at St Patrick's Cathedral (>2002) |
| Seán Keane | The Man That I Am (2000); UK Tour promo EP (2000) |
| Hubert McCormack | Look Deeper (2003) |
| Christy Moore | Christy Moore (1988); Voyage (1989); Christy Moore Collection 81-91 (Warner 9031-75351-2, 1991); Live At The Point (1994); Warmer For The Spark - The Songs of Jimmy MacCarthy Vol1 (1997); Celtic Moods (1997); This Is The Day (2001); Christy Moore Uncovered - VHS-PAL (2001); Best of Celtic (2003) |
| Moving Hearts | Live Hearts - LP (WEA IR 0230, 1983) |
| The O'Brien Brothers | Living (??); Morning Sun (??) |
| Maura O'Connell | Just In Time (1988); Always (1989); Stories (Permanent Records HNCD 1389, 1995);Warmer For The Spark - The Songs of Jimmy MacCarthy Vol1 (1997); Éist (1999); Hearts of Gold - Sunday Independent promo (2003) |
| Rua | Dream-Teller (2003) |
| Sheevon | Sláinte! (2002) |
| Sliabh Notes | Gleanntán (Ossian OSS CD 114, 2000) |
| The Vards | A Time Of Change (Universal 159 901 2, 2000) |
| Wheelers & Dealers | Wheelers & Dealers (2003) |
| Compilations - various artists | Four For The Road - Furey, Baker, Hanly & MacCarthy (1994); Warmer For The Spark - The Songs of Jimmy MacCarthy Vol1 (1997); Summer 1990; Bringing it All Back Home Vol1 (1994); Absolute Irish (1995); Heart of Ireland (1997); Celtic Moods (1997); Éist (1999); Hearts of Gold - Sunday Independent promo (2003); Best of Celtic (2003); The Grapevine Label '96; Take My Hand (1997); Celtic Heartbeat - A Winter's Tale (1998) |