Mr Wilson’s class had an opportunity to go outside and sing a few songs they had been learning. They learned an old Cork song called “The Doll in Cash’s Window”. This song was a ‘swaddling song’ that would be sung to babies while rocking them to sleep.
Mr Wilson played the song on his bouzouki, and the boys joined in on the chorus. It is a very difficult song to sing as it involves lilting, but the boys were brilliant!
The song contains many references that the boys found very interesting. The song is about Cash’s department store which was the shop that existed where Brown Thomas is now in the city.
The boys added a new word to their vocabulary, the Cork term “me daza”, meaning “wonderful”.
The song also refers to “Hadji Bey”, a Turkish Delight that was made in Cork, and was very popular. It is used as a term of endearment in the song, as it says “with eyes like Hadji Bey”, talking about the wonderful and vibrant colours of the Turkish Delight.
We had a great time, and loved the sunshine! It was me daza!
Togher Boys' National School 