B93: Big River

River Suir through Carrick (thanks to Chris Keane 2019)

This week’s blog post is on a favourite song of mine, "Big River", a song written and performed by English singer and actor Jimmy Nail,   The big river referred to in the title is the River Tyne that runs through Nail's home town, Newcastle upon Tyne. The song is an elegy to the days when shipbuilding and industry in general were at their height in Newcastle and laments the later decline of the industry and therefore the decline of the importance and activity of the Tyne itself. However, in the last chorus, the song takes a more hopeful turn, declaring that, "the river will rise again".  The guitar work on the song was provided by Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, who features in the music video.

I can’t imagine living in a town or city without a river.  Some of my earliest memories are holding my mother’s hand as we crossed from the end of Bridge Street onto the Old Bridge in Carrick-on-Suir. And when I say “old bridge” I mean old bridge as a bridge has stood here since 1447 – before Columbus went to America! The river is so much a part of Carrick that it’s even included in its name.  Carraig na Siúire, in Irish means 'rock of the Suir'.  How many times have I crossed the River Suir?  For school, work, shops.  To meet friends.  Saying “well!” to everyone I met.  And for the last 30 years I’ve lived near the River Liffey in Dublin.  Another great river.  How many times have I walked across its bridges to work, shop and play?  Though not as big as the Big River in Jimmy’s song, both the Suir and the Liffey have played a big part in my daily life.

Suir at Sunset (by Hugh Faulkner)

​Some might see the rivers as divisive, separating Carrick-Mόr from Carrick-Beg; the Southside from the Northside.  But, river towns to me are all about connection, bridges bring us across to the other shore.  You cannot but be aware of the movement and flow of life. Attracting graceful swans and water birds; agile salmon and trout.   As children we often stood on the Old Bridge watching in respectful awe as the Suir in full flood thundered underneath.  In 1974 we moved house and I started crossing the New (Dillon) Bridge instead.  Not that it’s new … it dates from 1879….but it’s new compared to the Old Bridge 😊and when I first started using it regularly in 1974 it was being reconstructed.  We had to walk on a temporary wooden walkway constructed under the bridge for the duration of the works.  It was the scariest thing ever when the Suir was in flood.

New Bridge, Carrick-on-Suir with wooden walkway beneath - c.1974

But flow it did and we took it for granted that the river would be there every day….but never the same water twice….always moving forward to the sea. Making us aware of the passage of time.  The river – whose waters change every second of every hour of every day, carving new shorelines with every flood of its banks – reminds us that nothing is stagnant.

Back in the day, the River Suir was a major source of commerce for the town of Carrick with goods being transferred downstream from Clonmel to Waterford.  Several families made a living from the river; boat builders/ repairers, rope makers, fishermen.  But the river in flood often brought destruction with flooding of properties, drownings and loss of life. We treated it with respect.   Often too, back in the day, we used rivers as an organic waste disposal system for sewage and industrial waste but thankfully today both the Suir and the Liffey are cleaner than I ever remember and smell much better.

Sunrise on the Liffey - taken on my way to work from Talbot Memorial Bridge 16 Sept 2015

The song, Big River, resonates with me as, like Jimmy’s dad, “my father was working man, he earned a living with his hands, he had to cross the river every day, he picked up his Union card “.  Except my dad worked in a factory making leatherboard (used for shoe insoles) – Ferrersflex a subsidiary of the Tannery.  He cycled to and from work across the river every day, coming home for his dinner in the middle of the day.  It was hard physical labour but he loved it and he loved the guys he worked with.  When he died at almost 94, one of his prized possessions was his union card from the job.

My Dad

​In 1978 he took voluntary redundancy at the age of 63. The Tannery and subsidiaries closed for good in 1984 which was a huge blow for the town.  Instead of crossing the river for work the men now gathered to chat on the bridges contemplating life as the Suir flowed beneath.  The town went through a period of decline but like the river the town never gives up. Carrick still has the river and along its picturesque bank has been developed the Blue Way for visitors and locals alike.  Carrick still has community, parks, art, culture and history. Carrick still has spirit and like the river lives on.  ‘Cause to quote Jimmy “this is a mighty town…built upon solid ground”.  Happy Christmas to all!

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So without further ado, here's "Big River" with Jimmy Nail:
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​Lyrics of Big River by Jimmy Nail

Walking on cobbled stones, little bits of skin and bone
Jumping on a tram car for a ride
I can remember when, I was a just a boy of ten
Hanging around the old Quayside
Now all the capstans and the cargo boats
And stevedores are gone
To where all the old ships go
But memories, just like the sea live on

'Cause that was when coal was King
The river was a living thing
And I was just a boy but it was mine
The coaly Tyne
This was a big river
I want you all to know
That I was proud
This was a big river
But that was long ago
That's not now, that's not now

My father was a working man
He earned a living with his hands
He had to cross the river every day
He picked up his Union card, out of the Neptune yard
Mouths to feed and bills to pay
There came a time for him to sail across the sea and far away
And finally when the war was won
They brought him home and home he stayed

And when his days were done
Under a golden sun
They took him back to where he longed to be
Back to the sea

This was a big river
I want you all to know
That I was proud
This was a big river
But that was long ago
That's not now, that's not now
The Neptune was the last to go
I heard it on the radio
And then they played the latest number one
But what do they do all day
And what are they supposed to say
What does a father tell his son?
If you believe that there's a bond between our future and our past
Try to hold on to what we have
We build them strong, we built to last

'Cause this is a mighty town
Built upon solid ground
And everything they've tried so hard to kill
We will rebuild

This is a big river
I want you all to know I'm so very proud
This is a big river
But that was long ago
That's not now
This is a big, big river
And in my heart I know it will rise again
The river will rise again
 

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Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog 93
​Number 74 - Experiences - Pick 80 Songs/ Pieces of Music

• "Big River" by Jimmy Nail

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​Other Blog Posts
Blog 11 - Sydney, Australia
Blog 12 - Hong Kong, China
Blog 17 - Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai, China
Blog 19 - California, USA
Blog 27 - Scotland
Blog 28 - Barbados
Blog 29 - Canada
Blog 30 - Alaska
Blog 31 - Everglades, Florida

What are your favourite songs?  Tell me about them in the comments section below.
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