Great song. I have it on an old Topic LP by Dominic Behan - 'Down by the Liffeyside'. He simply called it 'The Saint'. The following note was on the sleeve - it may be of interest:

Dominic writes: 'This alleges to tell the story of St Kevin of Glendalough who, it is said, thought more of celibacy than worldly wantonness. I imagine it was made by Michael J. Moran, the blind ballad singer of Falley Alley, who called himself Zozimos. I got the song, though, like a good many more, from my father, Stephen Behan'.

The austere and pious Celtic church gave Ireland the reputation of the Isle of Saints as long as 1500 years ago. St Kevin founded his monastery in Glendalough, Co Wicklow, in the sixth century. He seems to have spent his first years there as a hermit, lodging in a tree; but, later, may have built the church called 'The Church of the Rock', which you can only get to by boat. There is still a cave in the rocks at Glendalough which goes by the name of St Kevin's bed. Perhaps he used to retire there to meditate - or to escape from the amorous, Kathleen, whose mournful ghost still, they say, glides sadly in search of him to this very day.

It does not name the writer of the comments following Behan's - might be Bill Leader, who made the recording.

--Stewie.