Well, its Irishness seems more and more likely ...

In Anne Warner's Traditional American Folk Songs from the Frank & Anne Warner Collection, p 276, Ms Warner refers to an article, "'Rose Connoley,' An Irish Ballad," by Prof. D.K. Wilgus of UCLA in the April-June issue of the Journal of American Folklore, and says he cites

"a text found recently in the Irish Folklore Collection of University College, Dublin. .... Professor Wilgus believes that "Rose Connoley" has an Irish origin, although he says he finds scant proof for his conclusion. He says, 'It is as if an Irish local song never popularized on broadsides was spread by a single Irish peddler on his travels through Appalachia,' and in a footnote he even suggests .... John Calvin 'Lie-Hew' Younce ..."

Elsewhere(p 238) as she describes Younce "an almost legendary figure ... who traveled all over the southern Appalachians, staying with anyone who would offer him hospitality, planting songs and tales like a musical Johnny Appleseed. He earned the name ... by invariably confusing fact with fancy."

So I checked Sam Henry's Songs of the People, an invaluable source for Irish tradition and pop, with loads of old obscure Irish songs Henry found ... but I can't find Rose Connolly there. So for now I'm stumped.

If Wilgus, a leading scholar, can get no farther, we have a real mystery on our hands. Everything points to Ireland, but nobody has come up with a source. Perhaps some of you can add something more definitive to this? Mudcat's famous for ferreting out the obscurities — go to it!

Bob