Okay, I found what may be the original source of "Herring the King."

Alfred Percival Graves apparently wrote a song called Herring the King. The website I found this on does not give a date - the url is: http://www.sundown.pair.com/Sharp/Lyra%20Celtica/modern_irish_2.htm.

It's kind of an odd song. Seems like a fishing song written by someone who's never fished. There is also no melody given so it may be just a poem. It's my guess that this poem might have gone through the folk process that eventually resulted in the other version of Herring the King.

Here's the song:

HERRING IS KING

Let all the fish that swim the sea
Salmon and turbot, cod and ling
Bow down the head and bend the knee
To herring, their king! to Herring, their king!

Chorus:
Sing, Hugamar fein an sowra lin',
'Tis we have brought the summer in

The sun sank down so round and red
Upon the bay, upon the bay
The sails shook Idly overhead
Becalmed we lay, becalmed we lay

Till Shawn the eagle dropped on deck
The bright-eyed boy, the bright-eyed boy
'Tis he had spied your silver track
Herring, our joy, herring, our joy

It is in with the sails and away to shore
With the rise and swing, the rise and swing
Of two stout lads at each smoking oar
After herring, our king! herring, our king!

The Manx and Cornish raised the shout
And joined the chase, and joined the chase
But their fleets they fouled as they went about
And we won the race, we won the race

For we turned adn faced you full to land
Down the goleen long, the goleen long
And after you slipped from strand to strand
Our nets so strong, our nets so strong

Then we called to our sweethearts and our wives
Come welcome us home, welcome us home
Till they ran to meet us for their lives
Into the foam, into the foam

O kissing of hands and waving of caps
From girl and boy, from girl and boy
While you leapt by scores in the lasses' laps
Herring our joy, herring our joy!