Pretty Saro - from Mariah Wade's debut album 'Drink Deep & Depart', Doras Records, DOOR001.

A tale of emigration, love and loss. We first heard versions of Pretty Saro many years ago through singing sessions we attended locally and throughout Ireland. Often it was a verse scattered here or there in another song, or a sentiment that echoed the peculiar strains of this piece. Through recordings we came across Doc Watson's, and later Peggy Seeger's and Hedy West's versions. Our interest in the song was renewed in a visit to the Appalachian mountains in the summer of 2011 where we came across many songs in common to the Irish and American traditions. We later had the pleasure of hearing Elisabeth LaPrelle sing it at the Inishowen Singing Weekend in Co. Donegal, Ireland. This version is a condensed version of the complete song - we have omitted some verses for artistic reasons - and was recorded live on its first take for our debut album.

The song is thought to have originated in England in the 1700s although the '1849' of the opening verse would suggest that it has been updated periodically to reflect then current preoccupations. The resonance with the great migrations of Irish people to America during and following the great famine of 1847 is clear. We felt this poignantly on our 2011 tour when, calling in to see a church lost among the pale blue mountains of West Virginia and Virginia, we came across a number of graves of Irish people dated 1847 to 1849.

Pretty Saro

MariahWade

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