Kelligrews Soiree

Kelligrews Soiree

The Kelligrews Soiree is a popular Newfoundland folk song. It was written by Johnny Burke (1851 – 1930), a popular St. John's balladeer. It was patterned on Irish music-hall songs like "The Irish Jubilee" and "Lanigan's Ball", and makes reference to "Clara Nolan's Ball", an American vaudeville song of the nineteenth century.

The narrator of the song tells of dressing up up in borrowed finery and going to the Soiree; he mentions the myriad food, curiosities, and celebrities in attendance, as well as the donnybrook that caps the festivities.

The Soiree is an annual event held in Kelligrews, now incorporated into Conception Bay South, since soon after the founding of the community.