Hi Joe,

Hey, I can't even remember what happened yesterday, Joe!

Oh, okay, okay, I'm fishing for information (pardon the pun).

The song appears in James N. Healy's book, Irish Songs of the Sea but with no useful information. The description of the song is:

"The life of the fisherman and the families who wait for the sight of his boat returning over rough seas has been sung by poets from countries other than Ireland. John M. Synge has probably set the Irish scene with his "Riders to the Sea" - but when the boat returns filled to the gunwhales with fish it is a time to rejoice. So, the fisherman sings of "Herring the King".

Also, the tune given for this song is the air "An Bruach 'na Carraige Baine" in the hedious key of C#m (four sharps) but the setting of the tune is quite bizarre.



I'm okay, Joe, thanks for asking. Peter and I are putting the finishing touches on our third shanty album!