“It’s a long way to Tipperary” and “Tipperary so far away”: Quoting two songs makes good writing and good speech

Churchill once said, “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it,” wrote he did.  There is no argument that Churchill was a formidable historian and he wrote it with a literary flavor.  He was a Nobel Literature laureate (1953).  We read “A literary prize is intended to cast lustre over the author, but here it is the author who gives lustre to the prize” in the Nobel Prize presentation speech.  Churchill regretted that he never been able to study at Oxford.  I think it is Oxford that should regret that Churchill never had a chance to matriculate there.

On the event that led to British Government renouncing all rights to occupy two Irish ports in 1938 at the eve pf WWII, Churchill wrote,

  

The reader is now invited to move westward to the Emerald Isle.  “It's a long way to Tipperary,” but a visit there is sometimes irresistible.  In the interval between Hitler's seizure of Austria and his unfolding design upon Czechoslovakia we must turn to a wholly different kind of misfortune which befell us.

-          “Emerald Isle” is the poetic name of Ireland.

-          “It's a long way to Tipperary” is a popular military song during WWI

-          Tipperary is a town in Ireland.  

-          Using poetic name of Ireland and mentioning a very popular song about Ireland is a literary way to talk about event concerning Ireland in his Memoir of the Second World War.

-          Another famous song about Tipperary is “Tipperary so far away”, which leads me to the following story of Ronald Reagan.

During his Presidency, Reagan visited Ballyporeen in Ireland, the native town of his ancestors. Ballyporeen is in Tipperary County.  His talk at Ballyporeen on June 3, 1984 was sentimental and touching.

The bond between our two countries runs deep and strong, and I am proud to be here in recognition and celebration of our ties that bind.  My roots in Ballyporeen, County Tipperary, and little different from millions of other Americans who find their roots in towns and counties all over the Isle of Erin.  I just feel exceptionally lucky to have this chance to visit you.

Last year a member of my staff came through town and recorded some messages from you.  It was quite a tape, and I was moved deeply by the sentiment that you expressed.  One of you townsmen sang me a bit of a tune about Sean Tracy, and a few lines struck my mind.  They went like this--not that I'll sing--"And I'll never more roam, from my own native home, in Tipperary so far away."

Well, the Reagans roamed to America, but now we are back.  And Nancy and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming out to welcome us, for the warmth of your welcome.  God bless you all.

-          You can watch the YouTube of Reagan’s talk:
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bQVxdhitok

-          Isle of Erin is Irish way to say Ireland.

-          Reagan was not known as an intellectual.  After reading Reagan’s diary many years ago, my perception of him changed.  By the way, his famous “Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall” is from Reagan himself, not from speech writers.