Grace - Jim McCann - The Original & The Best Version

a few years ago i was offered a song which i found so moving i couldn't wait to get into a studio and record it it's all about a young woman called grace gifford who was the childhood sweetheart and for a very short period of time the wife of a poet called joseph mary plunkett i see his blood upon the rose and in the stars the glory of his eyes his body gleams amid eternal snows his tears fall from the skies joseph mary plunkett was the youngest of the signatories of the proclamation of independence in 1916. at the age of 29 he was sentenced to death along with all the other rebels he was shot here in kilmainham jail in dublin on the 4th of may 1916 at about half past six in the morning a few hours before the execution grace gifford and a priest were brought in and in a bizarre ceremony joseph plunkett married grace they were allowed just 15 minutes together and that was the extent of their married life i met a lovely old lady called miss bridget kelly who was actually present at the wedding she told me that during the young couple's final few minutes the only item of furniture in the cell was a small stool miss kelly told me that grace sat on the stool while joseph plunkett knelt on the floor i find that image very touching although this story is set amid the terrible events of 1916 it is in every sense a love song [Music] as we gather in i think about these past few weeks or will they say we failed from our school days they have told us we must yearn for liberty yet all i want in this dark place is to have you here with me all grace just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger they'll take me out to dawn and i will die with all my love i'll place this wedding ring upon your finger there won't be time to share our love for we must say goodbye now i know it's hard for you my love to ever understand the love i bear for these brave men my love for this dear land but when party called me to his side down in the gpo i had to leave my own sick bed to him i had to go [Music] all grace just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger they'll take me out to dark and i will die with all my love i'll place this wedding ring upon your finger there won't be time to share our love for we must say goodbye now as the dawn is breaking my heart is breaking too on this may morn as i walk out my thoughts will be of you and i'll write some words upon the wall so everyone will know i loved so much that i could see his blood upon the hose oh grace just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger they'll take me out to dawn and i will die with all my love i'll place this wedding ring upon your finger there won't be time to share our love for we must say goodbye oh there won't be time to share our love so we must say goodbye [Music]

Channel: The Dubliners

Views: 118,048

Rating: 4.9221697 out of 5

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Id: _5UhRcpyLyc

Length: 6min 2sec (362 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 13 2021