Salonika: Cork’s greatest hit

As Jimmy Crowley and Lankum join forces for a gig, Marjorie Brennan delves into the fascinating history of the wartime ballad they both perform.

Cork owes Helena Ronayne a huge debt for rescuing one of the city’s iconic ballads from extinction. It was a chance encounter with the Cumann na mBan veteran that led the city’s legendary troubadour Jimmy Crowley to discover Salonika, and thus the rousing traditional folk song was saved for posterity.