It's a pity that Christy didn't include the song in his book 'One Voice' as that might have given a clue as to how he learned the song.

It's thought that the air, a variant of The Flower of Sweet Strabane, may have been suggested by Seán O Shea, the South Kerry artist and raconteur, a close friend of Clifford's, who was almost certainly the first to be shown the lyric. (Per Tim Dennehy)