The Town I Loved So Well
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The Town I Loved So Well
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"The Town I Loved So Well" is a song written by Phil Coulter about his childhood in Derry, Northern Ireland. The first three verses are about the simple lifestyle he grew up with in Derry, while the final two deal with the Troubles, and lament how his placid hometown had become a major military outpost, plagued with violence.
Covers
The song has been covered by The Dubliners, the High Kings, Pierre Bensusan, Paddy Reilly, and The Irish Tenors
More recently, it was covered by young Irish country music star Nathan Carter in his 2012 album The Live Show. Carter also sang it live at the Aura Leisure Centre, Letterkenny with piano accompaniment and brief vocal contribution from Coulter himself. The live version was released on DVD and included in Carter's 2013 album and DVD The Wagon Wheel Show – Live
- Language covers
- Tri Yann, a famous Breton music band, has also covered this song, re-titled "La Ville que J'ai Tant Aimée", with lyrics in French.
- Dafydd Iwan recorded his own translation, "Y Dref a Gerais i Cyd" (The Town I Loved So Long) with Ar Log for their joint album Rhwng Hwyl a Thaith (Sain, 1982).
- A German version was covered by Hannes Wader, re-titled "Kleine Stadt".
- Lillebjørn Nilsen translated and recorded it in Norwegian as "Byen Jeg Kjente Som Min".