As we enter the Christmas spirit, there is one thing that I always looked forward to during my Malvernian Christmas: Marty Farrell’s rendition of “Wild Rover”
It was the day before Christmas break at Malvern, 2013.
Everybody was in a frenzy, it was truly an amazing scene.
There was dodgeball, which followed the mass,
and of course, the senior skit made us laugh.
My Christmas spirit was extremely high,
Then, I was all set to leave the Duffy Center saying goodbye,
when all of a sudden, this man walks out onto stage, he wasn’t shy.
Okay, it spent me an hour trying to make that paragraph rhyme, so don’t expect the remainder of this to be in comedic time. OK… that was the last attempt.
But, I will never forget my freshman year at Malvern. It was the first time I experienced the “Wild Rover.” It came as a super surprise when this man walked out on stage. The whole school erupted. As a freshman, I had no idea what this person was all about, or why he was so special to this school.
He then began to sing the “Wild Rover,” an old Irish song made famous by “The Dubliners”. I never expected this song to bring the whole school together. As I watched from the upper deck, I saw the whole school singing and chanting the chorus: “NO NAY NEVER! (clap clap clap clap clap) NO NAY NEVER NO MORE! WILL I PLAY THE WILD ROVER, NO NEVER, NO MORE!”
I never thought that a simple song from way back in the day could unify the school. It sent me home extremely happy and in the Christmas spirit.
It really was the focal point of that day, and Marty Farrell, the man, the myth, the legend, was the one who sent us all home happy. It had been a tradition at Malvern for many years, and this year will be the first time that he will not being doing it.
The “Wild Rover” is something that really needs to be apart of Malvern. It’s just one of those little, subtle aspects that Malvern has which makes this place special. Whomever is the person to continue this trend has big shoes to fill. I will be anticipating who will lead us out of Duffy into the true Christmas season every Friday in the future.
UPDATE: Alum John Scargall led the 2015 “Wild Rover.”
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