G'day Sian (et al),

I was making a fairly loose guess at Click go the Shears dating from the 1880s ... based on language, terms, shearing style, social factors. The Henry Clay Work song dates firmly from the end of the American Civil War, being written to celebrate the news of the war's end, so that dates it as 1865. HC Work also "wrote" Marching through Georgia (he actually set it straight down in music type without a written version, being a music typesetter by trade) to celebrate Sherman's victory.

Ring the Bell, Watchman would probably have been published in Australia the same year or the next, so the parody could be as early as 1865 (possibly with later adaptations bringing it up to date ... but not being re-written after shearing switched to machine shears in the 1890s). The tune is a very good Schottische tune and is played by most old 'Bush' players - and generally known as Ring the Bell. Click go the Shears presumably had a much smaller audience, restricted to nostalgic old shearers who had worked with hand shears before the 1890s.

Sian: Do you have the text of Twll Bach y Clo (preferably with English approximation)? I presume my Canberra-bound friend Mark Campbell (who I visited during my "get out of the Sydney Olympics" peregrinations) might like to add it to his Australian/Celtic connections playlist.

Regards,

Bob Bolton