ALL WRONG I'M AFRAID...I am amazed at the lack of credible notations regarding the Gypsy Rover stories. I live in Cassilis Victoria Australia a carbon copy of Cassilis Scotland where,, thanks to the Kennedy's of Ayreshire and the West coast, birthplace of Poet Robert Burns we exist. A few years ago mu Wife and I in search of truth, travelled to Scotland and sought out the Kennedy lairds to fill in the many historic gaps of our small towns origins. Being able to quote a few lines of Burns in his epic poem "Holloween" we were able to have a guided tour of the kKennedy Estate. Her ladyship, Mother of the current Earl of Cassilis spoke openly and frankly about the Kennedys'd chequered history and in particular of the young man and his band of what I recall 14 men who were to occupy the Kennedy estate in a Gypsy fashion. The leader of which claimed his family were duped by the Kennedy's and robbed of there tradtional lands. He became very freindly with one of the Kennedy's daughters much to the disgust of the Lairds who plotted to end this relationship and bury forever this claim to his birthright. Her ladyship told us that the Gypsy Rover's men were attacked by the River Doon and killed except the leader who was courting the Kennedy'd Daughter, he was taken to the estate in Maybole Cassilis and hung from a Sycamore tree known as the Dule tree!? We were shown a suckering remnant this ancient tree and have photo's of it. I think the Irish version is pure fantasy although a place in Ireland named Casheal (Cassilis) does exsist. This is a very sad love story which led to the song the Whistling Gypsy Rover, a song that travelled to Australia in various forms. By studying the verses of the song it is clear to me that the origins are Scottish not Irish and despite the fact that the kennedy's would love to see the Irish claim the origins of this appalling miscarriage of justice and cover-up it cannot be so. My Wife and I would like to praise the Staff of the Kennedy's and in particular the Factor and the the Marquesses Mother for their frankness and wonderful hospitality. My sincere apologies for the typing and gramatical errors. Howard Reddish cassilis , Australia