This morning I was listening to a track on a CD called "Mélodies en sous sol", an anthology of French bagpipe tunes. One track made me sit up and take notice: "Le Départ Pour La Provence", as published by Achille Millien, 1880 (played by Noëllie Nioulou and Julien Cartonnet on the CD).

The resemblance between this tune and "The Merry Fellows" as performed on "The Tale of Ale" is striking. Which came first? there's obviously a common ancestor. Can we attach a date to the Merry Fellows tune?