LEGEND & HISTORY OF MOLLY MALONE, DUBLIN, IRELAND

Alright, sing with me! In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone, as she wheeled her wheel-barrow, through the streets broad and narrow, crying “cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh! Alive, alive, oh, alive, alive oh, crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh.   

Recently we visited Dublin, Ireland, the home of the legendary Molly Malone. Millions of us with Celtic heritage have heard that famous song all our lives but few of us know the story behind this interesting character. Is she symbolic? Was she a real person? I’ll leave it for you to decide and at the end of this video, leave us a comment on what your opinion is.   We were at the Molly Malone statue in downtown Dublin. This statue was unveiled in 1988, the 1,000-year anniversary of Dublin, in honor of the song that is the unofficial anthem of Dublin. The statue sits in front of the old Saint Andrew’s Church which is now used as the Tourist Information Office.   

Some say Molly Malone is a fictional character and a representative of a group of women in Dublin, in the 1600s called “fishwives”.  Fishwives were the wives or daughters of a fisherman. These women were said to be gruff, unpolished and foul mouthed. I think you are getting the picture and perhaps you are thinking of some women that you know today that fit that same description. Molly was a “hawker” or a “monger” which was someone who sold things from a cart on the streets. Hawkers and mongers of the time were often known to work a different trade on the streets at night, but our Molly is said to be one of the few that maintained her chastity and dignity. The legend says that Molly sadly died of a fever at a young age.  

While some maintain that Molly Malone is a symbolic character, others say that she was a real person. In fact, in the Dublin records there was found a woman named Molly Malone who died on June 13, 1699. There is no evidence that this particular Molly Malone is the one whom the song was written for but in 1988, the year of the 1,000th anniversary of Dublin, June 13th was declared as, “Molly Malone Day”. The holiday has been celebrated in Dublin on each June 13th since. Perhaps you will now celebrate Molly Malone day too.  

The statue of Molly Malone is quite detailed and, on her cart, she has fish to sell, as well as cockles and mussels, which if you aren’t familiar with what those are, they are similar to a clam and common to the shorelines of Ireland. The other thing that certainly doesn’t go unnoticed about the statue is, her busty appearance. This look was common for a young woman of her time and public breastfeeding wasn’t seen as taboo. Young women of the time were often constantly pregnant or with a young child so the appearance of the statue is actually quite period accurate. However, the way she looks has earned her the nickname from some, The Tart with the Cart”, or “The Trollop with the Scallops”. Once again, I will defend her honor and state that our Molly was an honorable woman!  

You may also notice that her breasts are quite shiny. The legend is that it is good luck to rub her left breast, or is it her right breast? Most folks just make sure to rub both to be safe! Also, the area is a popular gathering spot for buskers, or street musicians.   The popular song that so many of us are familiar with has had many different versions and variations over the years and no one is for certain its real true origin. The fact is though, that it doesn’t really matter, it’s a fun song that many of us associate with our Irish heritage and are eager to sing along no matter where we hear it. 

So now you know a little history of the lady from the song, and like I mentioned at the beginning of this video, I’m curious what are your thoughts on Molly being a real person or not? Be sure to leave us a comment below of your thoughts.   Make sure you look up the versions of the song by The Dubliners, Sinead O’Conner, or U2. Be sure to see the video from the Molly Malone Statue at the link below.

– Col. Russ Carson, Jr., Founder, Family Tree Nuts