Surprising origins of 100-year-old "Danny Boy" - UPDATE

CBS NEWS: December 31, 2013, 12:55 PM:

This year marks a century since the song "Danny Boy" first weaved its way into Irish folklore. Its melody could be heard at President Kennedy’s funeral and it also played at the farewell to Elvis Presley.

The ballad that has proved irresistible to some of the biggest names in music is a song of love and loss - a lament for those missing home and each other.

“Danny Boy” arrived a century ago and never left. But arrived from where? Most people assume it’s from Ireland, but it’s not. It was written by an Englishman.

That Englishman was Fred Weatherly, a prolific songwriter - and later successful lawyer - who published 1,500 songs.

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I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU (DEAR READERS) IF YOU DON'T TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO LISTEN TO THIS VERSION OF "DANNY BOY" PERFORMED BY MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE PIANIST, BILL EVANS:
Bill Evans, piano solo, recorded April 4, 1962

UPDATE:
OK, YES, YOU REALLY HAVE TO HEAR A GREAT VOCAL VERSION TOO AND THIS IS IT!

RONALD REAGAN'S FAVORITE IRISH JOKE

Courtesy of TO THE POINT NEWS

An Irishman was walking along a beach in County Cork one day and noticed an encrusted bottle washed up on the sand.  Wondering what might be inside he broke it off at the neck and out popped an Irish Genie.

"Oh, me man, I hah been in tha bottle for a hundred years, and you be settin' me free!" he exclaimed.  "For that, I'll be givin' you two wishes!"

"Two wishes?  Anything I want?" the man asked incredulously.

"Anythin' - just name it," the genie replied.

"Well, what I'll be wantin'," said the man, "is a glass of good Irish ale - but a very special glass, so that no matter how much I drink it will always be full of good Irish ale."

Poof!  There it was in his hand.  The Irishman drank and drank and drank, and twenty minutes later, he hadn't made a dent.  The glass was still overflowing with wonderful Irish ale.

But by now the genie was getting impatient.

"Listen me man" he announced.  "I'm grateful for you settin' me free, but I was in that bottle for a long time and I've things to do.  So you'll be makin' your second wish now."

The Irishman thought for a moment, looked at the glass in his hand, and declared, "You know, I think I'll have another one of these!"

St. Patty's Day Riddles

Why can't you borrow money from a leprechaun? - Because they're always a little short.


How can you tell if an Irishman is having a good time? - He's Dublin over with laughter!


What's Irish and stays out all night? - Patty O'furniture!


What do you call an Irishman who’s continuously bouncing off of the walls? – Rick O'Shea!


What did one Irish ghost say to the other? - Top o' the moaning to ya!


What do you call a big Irish spider? - Paddy long legs!


How do you get an Irishman to climb on the roof? - Tell him that the drinks are on the house.


What do you get when you cross poison ivy and a four-leaf clover? – A rash of good luck.


Why should you never iron a four-leaf clover? - You shouldn’t press your luck.


How can you tell if an Irishman is having a good time? - He's Dublin over with laughter!


What do you call a fake stone in Ireland? - A Shamrock.


"Doc, I can't stop singing, 'The Green, Green Grass of Home.'

So his doctor said, "That sounds a lot like the Tom Jones Syndrome."

"Is it common?"

"Well, 'It's Not Unusual.'"


And,


What has four legs, is big, green, fuzzy, and if it fell out of a tree would kill you? - A pool table.

TOTUS

A teleprompt blunder has led to Barack Obama thanking himself in a speech at the White House in a St Patrick's Day celebration...Mr Obama is an accomplished orator but is becoming known in America as the "teleprompt president" over his reliance on the machine when he gives a speech.

This is why Rush calls the POTUS TOTUS