Have enjoyed reading this 15 year old thread over a cup of coffee on a cool winter's morning in Australia. My grandmother was born in St Helens, Lancashire, but her mother was a Gorman from Co. Mayo. Now that I'm about to marry an Irishman I was reminded of this song which we we used to sing as kids:

Oh me Uncle Mick he had a big stick
And he took it to the slaughter;
Sure he killed five thousand Orangemen
At the battle of Boiling Water.

I never did understand the "Boiling Water" part, so I'm off to look up Boyne Water now, thank you! Meanwhile my Irish fiance has suggested that maybe I should not be humming this song at the kitchen sink anymore ;-)