Re Molly Malone, B Olson writes: "There's a tradition in Dublin that the
Molly Malone of the [ballad] was a prostitute, and the bronze statue of her
is generally known as the 'tart with the cart' to match the 'floozie in the
jacuzzi', the statue-cum-fountain of Anna Livia in O'Connell Street".

The lyrics are not fresh in my mind, but is there a connotation that Ms
Malone was a 'lady of the street', if that's the word? In which case, it
would certainly make for an interesting interpretation (or commonplace of
mush balladry, it seems), as there are a few ballads dealing on the subject.
My favourite being the ENGLISH ballad, Barbara Ellen.

In the case of Ms Ellen (or Allen, for Childers) there is conclusive TEXTUAL
(internal) support. Notably, she hailed not from Dublin's fair city, but
SCARLET town, and there's the suggestion that she, besides making the guys
in the town cry 'well-a-day', she had the disease standardly associated with
mediaeval pros, viz. syphilis, or some similar venereal disease. This
provides the best literal interpretation for Jemmy lying in his grave 'for
love of cruel Barbara Ellen'.

'Cockles & Mussels' is reprinted in the Oxford Songbook. My first
acquaintance with it came, though, from the use Dennis Potter makes of it in
his play, 'Pennies from Heaven' (London: Faber) - where a character plays it
in the piano in a London pub to the annoyance of the clients (He played it
badly, admittedly).

In looking up in the Oxford Thesaurus for synonyms of 'prostitute' (in
trying to think for a better subject title to this post), I come across
'moll'.  What more evidence do I need? :)

Good luck in your reserach, and keep us informed.

Best,
J L Speranza
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
[log in to unmask]

* * * * * * *
B Boock writes: "I found the text in 'A Hundred Irish Ballads'. The text
begins, 'In Dublin's fair city where the girls are so pretty...'. It has
only three stanzas and is called 'Cockles & Mussels'. The author of the song
is not known. I would like to know how old it is and if there is any
additional information about poor [Ms] Malone whose ghost is doomed to cry
out 'cockles and mussels' as she did all her lifetime long.




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