Fire-Whisky.net

While the Irish have a song or two about whiskey, some tend to crop up even more than the others.

Such is the case with the seemingly-rollicking “Whiskey You’re the Devil” which is a bit less temperance-minded than the title would have you believe. In fact, the line “Whiskey you’re my darlin’ drunk or sober” ends each chorus.

However, in between these odes, there’s also a bit of unpleasantness. The lyrics actually deal with war for a few verses, saying things like “men are dying hot and coldly”. Then there’s also this distressing glimpse:

“Says the old wan do not wrong me
don’t take me daughter from me
for if you do I will torment you
when I’m dead my ghost will haunt you”

Liam Clancy of The Clancy Brothers has only this to say:

“There’s only one song in here we can really claim we learned at mother’s knee, that’s Whiskey, You’re the Devil. My mother’s family owned a pub in Carrick-on-Suir which was the source of many a good song. She says that her mother used whiskey in a multitude of ways, such as rubbing it on the chest for a cough or giving it with hot water for a cold. The word ‘whiskey’ actually comes from the Gaelic, “uisce beathadh,” which means ‘water of life.’ ”

Well, not exactly illuminating in the way that we were hoping, but some very good color and a bit of essential info about whiskey in general. Thanks Liam!