Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song.

Brennan on the Moor [Laws L7]

DESCRIPTION: Irishman Brennan, perhaps in revolt against the English, turns robber in the hills. After various escapades, he is captured, only to be freed by a blunderbuss smuggled in by his wife. At last, betrayed by a woman, he is taken and hanged
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1862 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(3014))
KEYWORDS: outlaw rambling execution
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1804 - Hanging of William Brennan, a highwayman who worked in County Cork
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,NW,Ro,SE,So) Canada(Mar) Ireland Britain(England(North),Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (31 citations):
Laws L7, "Brennan on the Moor"
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 245-246, "Bold Brannan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
GreigDuncan2 258, "Brannon on the Moor" (4 texts, 4 tunes)
Kidson-Tunes, pp. 123-126, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Belden, pp. 284-286, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text plus a reference to 1 more)
Randolph 176, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 236-237, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 124, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text)
Flanders/Brown, pp. 98-99, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text)
Leach, pp. 745-747, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text)
Leach-Heritage, pp. 130-132, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text)
Peters, pp. 191-192, "Brennen on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-DullCare, pp. 126-127,242-243, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
SharpAp 135, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hubbard, #138, "Brandon on the Moor" (1 text)
Wells, pp. 300-301, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Friedman, p. 371, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
FSCatskills 110, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Carey-MarylandFolkLegends, p. 114, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text)
Lomax-Singing, pp. 317-319, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Scott-BoA, pp. 264-266, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hodgart, p. 204, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text)
Kennedy 315, "Brennan's on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wiltshire-WSRO Mi 539, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text)
OLochlainn-More 73, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, p. 59, "Brennen on the Moor" (1 text)
WolfAmericanSongSheets, #200, p. 15, "Brennen on the Moor" (1 reference)
Darling-NAS, pp. 103-106, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 325, "Brennan On The Moor" (1 text)
DT 421, BRENMOOR
ADDITIONAL: Kathleen Hoagland, editor, One Thousand Years of Irish Poetry (New York, 1947), pp. 250-252, "Brennan on the Moor" (1 text)
Roud #476
RECORDINGS:
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, "Brennan on the Moor" (on IRClancyMakem02)
William Jacob Morgan, "Brennan on the Moor" (AFS, 1946; on LC55)
Neil Morris, "Willie Brennan" (on LomaxCD1705)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(3014), "Brennan On the Moor," J.O. Bebbington (Manchester), 1858-1861; also 2806 c.8(304), Firth b.26(276), Harding B 11(2135), 2806 b.9(178), Firth c.17(11)[some words illegible], 2806 b.9(242), Harding B 11(3014)[some words illegible], Harding B 11(443), Harding B 11(442), Harding B 19(26), "Brennan On the Moor"; 2806 b.10(112)[some words blurred], "Bold Brannan"; Harding B 11(365), 2806 c.15(240), Harding B 11(364), "Bold Brennan on the Moor"; Harding B 26 (341), "A Lament on the Execution of Captain Brennan"
LOCSinging, as101620, "Brennen on the Moor," Horace Partridge (Boston), 19C
NLScotland, L.C.1270(015), "Brennan On the Moor," unknown, c. 1880; also APS.4.95.15(4), "Bold Brannan on the Moor" ("The first of my misfortunes was to list & desert"), unknown, n.d.
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Charlie Quantrell" (tune & meter, theme, lyrics)
SAME TUNE:
Tariff on the Brain (File: Wels073)
NOTES: The two non-fragmentary texts from GreigDuncan2 258 begin "The first of my misfortunes was to list and desert." That leads him "over hedges and ditches" into robbing. This is not in the broadsides. - BS
Last updated in version 3.8
File: LL07

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