Since I don't have three weeks to check out all the previous Danny Boy threads and links, I'll just chuck in what I heard recently from a source that's probably as authoritative as any (which may or may not be saying very much). John McDermott is one of the "Irish Tenors," who appear like clockwork during the KCTS (Seattle's major PBS affiliate) begathons. A couple of months ago, McDermott appeared in person at the KCTS studio and chatted with George Ray, the M. C., during pledge breaks.

The question of "what is Danny Boy all about?" came up. McDermott said that during their various wars, the British were in the habit of conscripting able-bodied young Irishmen to do their fighting for them. When pipers marched through the towns and countryside playing their pipes, this was the signal that all able-bodied young men were to come and "take the king's shilling" -- or else! According to McDermott, the words are spoken (sung) by the mother, hearing the dreaded sound of the pipes ("Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling. . . "), knowing that her young son must go into the army, and that she'll probably never see him again. With that to go on, the rest is self-explanatory.

Sounds reasonable. . . .

Don Firth