From the17th-century Scottish Gaelic phrase, deoch an doruis (and also with the form deochandorus), this literally means “door-drink” – a toast made with, or to honour, someone about to depart. The phrase stirrup-cup has also been raised when that person is about to ride off on a horse, or in more general terms, it is simply a specific one for the road.
The phrase makes up the title and theme of a traditional and once famous drinking song, A Wee Deoch An Doris, by Harry Lauder, an internationally popular Scottish entertainer (1870-1950). Here are two live recordings from 1912:
Another more recent number with a variant spelling comes from American singer-songwriter Kyle Aughe from Ohio, founder of the a capella group Dulahan, describing how the drink is “the way to wash me home”.
The alternative phrase, Stirrup-Cup, is captured by the American Victorian poet and musician Sidney Lanier (1842-1881) who died at the age of just 39 due to complications with tuberculosis, and in this poem in which he contemplates mortality (a regular preoccupation of the era) but in the a more upbeat mood and context before his eventual departure, and referencing also those by others:
Death, thou'rt a cordial old and rare:
Look how compounded, with what care!
Time got his wrinkles reaping thee
Sweet herbs from all antiquity.
David to thy distillage went,
Keats, and Gotama excellent,
Omar Khayyam, and Chaucer bright,
And Shakespeare for a king-delight.
Then, Time, let not a drop be spilt:
Hand me the cup whene'er thou wilt;
'Tis thy rich stirrup-cup to me;
I'll drink it down right smilingly.
There are of course many songs about final drinks and ones for the road, so here’s just a couple to to end, first a gentle instrumental by Sheffield’s Richard Hawley to close his album Coles Corner (2005) and by the sixties -influenced Midlands Britpop indie rockers Ocean Colour Scene, from their 1996 hit LP Moseley Shoals:
Fancy ordering just one more doch-an-dorris in the form of song or other suggestion? Feel free to share anything more in relation to anything whether in music or wider culture, such as from film, art, or other contexts, in comments below.
You can also get in touch the contact page, and also visit us on social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube. and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share. New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running: