as far as i know 'tramps and hawkers' and 'the homes of donegal' came into being around the same time. 'the homes of donegal' is widely recognised as the origin of this air, which has been used for a number of the songs mentioned in the thread above. i myself turned 68 on my last birthday, and remember learning to play the homes of donegal (when i suppose i must have been 13/14) before becoming affiliated with any of the other songs mentioned above.