Good advice, Malcolm. The thread on the origins of the song is fascinating reading but still does not resolve my dilemma; Is the song regretting an unnfulfilled love(...WOULD support her) or looking back on a partner who is already in the grave(.... DID support her). One contribution suggests that both may part of the story and that our bold hero had a true love who fell for another,from Clare, and moved on to marry someone in Kilkenny who he wished to see under the marble stones so that he could go back and try again with his true love.

An added confusion for me is that the old versions all seem to say "...with gold and silver I WILL support her.

How do other singers picture this song?