This is a transfer of a red herring which I raised in the thread "Help - origins of Carrickfergus" (qv). It concerns the first publication and presumed authorship of McAlpine's Fusiliers.

I first heard it from Dominic Behan on his LP "The Irish Rover" Folklore F-LEUT-2 (October 1961 or slighlty before) as McAldine's Fusiliers. Subsequently, it became popular on account of the Dubliners. Their songbook credits Behan with its authorship and has an undated copyright notice in favout of Essex Music.

I am puzzled by this because the song is in neither of the songbooks I believe were Dominic's complete output of that nature.

Mike Bracken says that his attribution of the song to Behan was challenged by someone who claimed it for an Irish navvy called McCafferty and that Behan's claim was spurious.

Any light?