Note from Funk and Wagnall:
In the Scottish ballad, 'The Wife of Usher's Well' (Child 79,) the dead sons return to their mother in the winter-time with hats of birch. These were taken from the tree beside the Gates of Paradise: a sign (as suggested by Robert Graves in The White Goddess) to the living that these ghosts will not haunt the world but wear the birch in token that they will return to their heavenly abode.
"I think also that these two ballads 73 & 74 are analogous"
"Three Ravens!!!"
Sorry, don't get that one.
I agonised over which number to put on this one when we were doing the notes for 'Around the Hills of Clare' - I seem to remember seeking Steve Roud's advice - can't remember the reason for the final choice.
A story about this ballad we were told by Tom Munnelly who introduced us to the singer, Martin Howley, shortly after he'd found him.
Martin had a stack of songs and Tom was pretty pressed for time so he began recording what he believed to be the most important ones in case he was delayed in returning.
Tom had taken a list of Martin's songs down and as Martin had given the title of F.M... as "The Old Armchair" because of the first line: Knight William was sitting in his old armchair", Tom kept avoiding it.
As the session was drawing to a close Tom hadn't recorded it, so Martin, in a very determined voice said "I'm going to sing The Old Armchair" - Tom nearly fell off his chair when he launched into the only version of Child 74 ever recorded in Ireland.
Martin, a road labourer, was a lovely old man, a nice old-style concertina player too; we spent several years visiting him (during our holidays).
He told us that he got the song from a Travelling woman named Mrs Sherlock (a common name among Clare Travellers). Her nickname was "Mrs Stotered" as she was often heard in the area rather the worse for drink, saying "I'm stotered (drunk) again"
The last time we met Martin we had been told he was quite ill, so we called up to see him to wish him well.
Although he was not at his best he invited us in , and after a while he said, "do you have the tape recorder with you?"
Pat said, "no Martin, we're going home tomorrow, we called up to see how you were".
He told her, "I'm a poor man; I have nothing to leave only my songs; I'd like you to have them all"; and proceeded to sing another dozen for us - still get a lump in the throat when I think of that.
He died a few months later; it transpired that he had cancer of the eye and, rather than go to the doctor he visited the local St Joseph's Holy Well, reputed to be effective for eye problems.
Jim Carroll