Oh, sweet Molly Malone. A name known by millions the world over.
But is it all a bit of Irish folklore? Or is the Molly Malone statue a bronze representation of someone that really did exist.
Regardless of whether or not Molly Malone was real, there’s a fine bit of legend attached to this historic Dubliner.
The location of the Molly Malone statue
Originally located on Grafton Street, the famous bronze Molly Malone statue with her wheelbarrow can now be found on Suffolk Street in the shadows of St Andrew’s Church.
You’ll find it right across from one of the most famous pubs in Dublin, O’Neill’s (you can’t miss it!).
The statue was first erected in 1988 to celebrate the city’s first millennium and was designed by Jeanne Rynhart.
So, who was Molly Malone?
Photo by Matteo Provendola (Shutterstock)
We get asked ‘Who was Molly Malone’ fairly often. And, after spending a few hours researching her, we feel both ‘in-the-know’ and stumped.
There’s a couple of different theories around who Molly was, and what her profession really entailed:
The most popular tale
The generally accepted story goes that Molly Malone worked as a ‘fishwife‘ who would likely have followed specific routes on certain days and her customers would have listened out for the calls.
Her ‘2nd profession’
You’ll often hear people refer to Molly Malone as the ‘Tart With The Cart’. This is because many believed she led a double life as a ‘Woman of the night’.
As you can glean from that short description, life was no picnic back in those days! In a poor and disease-ridden society, it’s believed she had to do what she could to make ends meet. Again, this is just speculation.
What happened to her
According to legend, Molly Malone died in one of the outbreaks of cholera that would often sweep Dublin.
Whether or not this is true is a different story altogether, but it appears to be the most widely accepted.
There were likely many Molly’s
It’s likely that there were a number of Molly Malone’s living in Dublin in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially considering the name ‘Molly’ derives from ‘Mary’ or ‘Margaret’ – two of the most popular Irish girl’s names at the time.
In fact, there are at least three songs that feature a character named Molly Malone that pre-date the earliest known version of ‘Cockles and Mussels’ by several decades.
And when it was discovered in 1988 that a certain Molly Malone had indeed died in Dublin on June 13th, 1699, the legend only grew stronger!
The story behind the Molly Malone song
Arguably one of the better-known Irish songs and recorded by the likes of Sinéad O’Connor, Pete Seeger and, of course, The Dubliners, Molly Malone has been an enduring anthem for years though its existence pre-dates the beginnings of popular music in the 1950s by many years!
Interestingly, one of the first times the lyrics of the famous Molly Malone song were printed wasn’t in Ireland at all, but across the Atlantic.
They feature in a book printed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1876, though it’s claimed the song was popular throughout the mid-19th century back it was simply known as ‘Cockles and Mussels’.
Despite its long and deep association with Dublin, some historians have argued that the tragicomic lyrics are more closely reminiscent of the music-hall style that was popular in Britain during the Victorian era.
Indeed, a version of the song was attributed to Scottish composer James Yorkston and was published in London in 1884.
Things to do near the Molly Malone statue
The Molly Malone statue is a stone’s throw from many of the best things to do in Dublin, from historical sites to mighty pubs.
Here are a few suggestions to visit regardless of whether you’re spending one day in Dublin or three days in Dublin:
- Trinity College: Home to the Book of Kells and the gorgeous Long Room at the Old Library, Trinity College is one of the must-see sights in Dublin
- Temple Bar: A tourist hot-spot, the cobbled streets of Temple Bar might be the closest representation of where Molly herself would have walked
- Key attractions: The likes of the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Castle, Christ Church and the EPIC Museum and much, much more