Luke Kelly The Auld Triangle File

: The song was first performed in 1954 as part of Behan's play The Quare Fellow , which depicts the life of prisoners on the eve of an execution. Although often attributed to Behan, some historical accounts credit the lyrics to his brother, Dominic Behan, or his friend Dick Shannon.

The song's title refers to a large metal triangle located at the center of in Dublin. This triangle was beaten daily with a hammer to signal various points of the prison routine—most notably to wake inmates—and its sound could be heard "all along the banks of the Royal Canal". Luke Kelly The Auld Triangle

For Luke Kelly, "The Auld Triangle" was more than just a piece of his repertoire; it was a life-altering discovery. In 1963, while working as a young expat laborer in Newcastle, Kelly stumbled upon a folk club by accident. Seeing an English crowd singing this Dublin ballad with such "natural, extemporaneous" passion changed the trajectory of his life, leading him to abandon jazz in favor of folk music. Kelly’s Interpretation: A Voice for the Downtrodden : The song was first performed in 1954

The Resonance of the Jingle-Jangle: Luke Kelly and "The Auld Triangle" This triangle was beaten daily with a hammer