The hard-core of regulars were Kathy and Peter Lyons, Marion and Peter McClune, Pam and Barry Wilson, Bob Woodhead, Michael and Jean Fisher, the George Jones, Michael Grogan and myself.
A veritable ragbag of songs were performed, popular songs of the 30s and 40s, Music Hall, Irish and Folk Songs all surfaced on a Sunday night. Since most of the clientele were Irish by extraction, Irish songs often tended to predominate.

Peter Lyons regularly sang ‘Mr, McAdam and Co’, ‘McCaffery’ and ‘Come back Paddy Reilly’.
Michael Grogan often sang ‘Hello Patsy Fagan’, ‘Mick Maguire’ and ‘Down by the Tanyard Side’.
Bob Woodhead would pipe up with ‘The Enniskillen Dragoons’ or the highly comical ‘Mick McGilligans Daughter Mary Ann’.

Most of the singers had their own favourite songs, which were often requested by the others present, One of Kathy Lyons favourite renditions was the old popular Music Hall Billy Bennett song, ‘She was Poor but she was Honest’ and she often gave a full rendition of ‘It's a Long Way to Tipperary’ .

Pam Wilson always sang ‘Barefoot Days’, her husband Barry ‘The Old House’ or ‘The Queen of Connemara’. Often together, Barry and I would sing ‘The Spaniard that Blighted my Life’, Barry having learnt it from his mother Annie, and me from my father Rowland.

Marion and Peter McClune frequently sang ‘Moonlight in Mayo’ as a duet, Peter being born and raised in Ireland and who like many Mayo expats before him moved to Batley seeking work, lodged at Marion’s and eventually finished up marrying her.

Marion had two party pieces, which were invariably performed at the end of the evening, when she would stand on the table, or long-saddle, and recite either, ‘The Green Eye of the Yellow God’ with the never to be forgotten opening lines:

‘There’s a one-eyed yellowed idol to the north of Khatmandu
There’s a little marble cross below the town,
There’s a broken hearted woman tends the grave of Mad Carew,
And the yellow god forever gazes down.’
Or Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Gunga Din’ with its immortal last line:
‘ You’re a better man than I am Gunga Din! ’

The sessions finished in the mid 1970s when the pub was refurbished and modernised. Some of the regulars moved round the corner to the Lord Nelson but the Sunday Night song session there never really took off, and fizzled out shortly afterwards.

The Songs

Dick Drummond's Grey Mare   From the singing of Marion McClune, (formerly Haley), who along with her daughter Kathy Lyons regularly performed it as a duet on the Sunday Night Sing at the Vic. Most of her songs were learnt as a girl from her father who performed on the West Riding Music Hall circuit.

Bill McClusky or The Stuttering Song  Peter Lyons regularly sang this song sang at the ‘Sunday Night at The Vic’ sessions. He told me he learnt it from Tommy Brazill who often performed it at ‘The Nash’, Batley Irish Democratic League Club, Monday Lunchtime ‘2 Bob on the Shamrock’ Sessions. The song is a variant of ‘You tell her - I stutter’ recorded in 1923, on the Edison Label, by the American Vaudeville singer Billy Murray.

When the Rhubub's Up - This little song is another regularly sung by Marion McClune.

Marion McClune's Music Hall Medley - I asked Marion about the Music Hall songs she had learned from her father, who had performed them on the West Riding Music Hall circuit. She sang me a real mixture of mainly snatches of songs covering a wide range of topics. As well as Marion's music hall songs I've included some history of the local Music Halls in my article Heavy Woollen District Music Hall Memories.