4 ms·
Brendan Behan had a few things to say about Cromwell's legacy, including this classy piece of doggerel "Don't speak of your Protestant minister, Nor of his chu
by Simon_O_Rourke 3y ago
Brendan Behan had a few things to say about Cromwell's legacy, including this classy piece of doggerel
"Don't speak of your Protestant minister,
Nor of his church without meaning or faith,
For the foundation stone of his temple
Was the bollocks of Henry VIII"
- cafard 3y agoBehan may have been talking about Oliver Cromwell, who I think figured much larger as an object of execration among the Irish. But, hey, my surname looks Dutch, so don't ask me. My recollection of Borstal Boy was that the doggerel you quote was an ad-hoc translation from Irish.
- gilleain 3y agoGiven the reference to Henry VIII's bollocks, it is certainly Thomas, not Oliver. Thomas Cromwell oversaw the founding of the Anglican Church, partly to satisfy Henry's need for a legitimate male heir.
- cafard 3y agoAh, but I don't think the rhymes Behan translated had anything in particular do with either Cromwell, save (remotely) by way of TC's agency in the new church.
- olddustytrail 3y agoI believe he was making a mischievous translation of a Gaelic text. So I think it's worth mentioning that, although I'm not too familiar with Irish Gaelic, in Scottish Gaelic the word "clach" means "stone" but is also the common word for "testicle". If it's the same in Irish it may be a bit of bilingual punnery.
- siftrics 3y agoIt is basically the same word in Irish. Slightly different spelling and pronunciation but essentially the same.