Excuse me if this has appeared in another thread on Mudcat, but I haven't seen it.

I've been playing in a band with Sean and Desmond Burke, two brothers originally from Belmullet, Co. Mayo (now in western Massachusetts) for about 25 years; we call ourselves Spancil Hill, after the song. Sean told me he and Des learned this song as kids ('60's?) from the version by Johnny McAvoy, an Irish pop music performer who at least until recently was still recording and touring. I think it may have been his version which accounts for the widespread familiarity with this song in Ireland. There is a recording available on Amazon by Johnny McAvoy ("Sings Country & Irish") which includes the song Spancil Hill.