What does a famous village in north Longford have in common with one of the most popular singers of the 20th century?
Well, it seems quite a lot judging by a new song released by Bob Dylan in the last week that has become the talk of Ballinalee.
The 'Hurricane' and 'Times-They-Are-A-Changin' singer appears to reference the north Longford village made famous by Sean MacEoin in his latest song 'I Contain Multitudes' which contain the following verse:
Today and tomorrow and yesterday, too,
The flowers are dyin’ like all things do,
Follow me close, I’m going to Ballinalee,
I’ll lose my mind if you don’t come with me.
On today's Let's Talk, Anne Norris spoke to academic Francis Leneghan about the song and its significance, and if a meeting with Shane McGowan may have inspired the lyrics referencing the north-Longford village:
If you want to read a little bit more about the song and its background the good people at Cassandra Voices have published this essay from Francis which you can find here
