Today February 25th 2002 is the 150th anniversary of the death of Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852). Probably more than anyone else he was the main influence in the spread of Irish song in the 19th century. His "Irish Melodies" which were published in various parts between 1807 and 1834 had the music arranged by Sir John Stevenson who apparently used traditional Irish tunes. They were an immediate success and earned Moore a fair amount of cash. Moore was a friend of Lord Byron who left him his memoirs. Moore sold them to a publisher but then bought them back and burned them. His melodies today still have a certain popularity and probably the best known singer of them in the 20th century was John McCormack. Moore knew his market and as far as I know none of his "melodies" are in the Irish language. His later years were plagued by tragedy and illness.