This is from the cassette notes written by Robbie McMahon for his recording of SPANCILHILL on the tape called "The Black Sheep Robbie McMahon of Spancilhill". (Recorded on location, edited in harmony row studio, Ennis, produced by Fr. Joe McMahon. There is no date on the cassette or the liner notes.)

quote "1. SPANCILHILL (4.56) This song was written by Michael Considine. Michael himself was a great musician. He used to play the old melodeon and the fiddle and he used to cater for all the American wakes and the fair of Spancilhill. He was great with his Mary Mac - Mac the Ranger's daughter. Her house was across the road and he went off to America to make some money and to bring her out. He went to Boston and he worked there for two and a half years. Then he went down to California and got work there, but he went to night school as well and became an accountant. He wrote that song in poem form and sent it home to his six year old nephew - a man I often walked to mass with. He was an old man and I was a young fellow. Michael Considine died before he reached 23. I got the song from Marie Keehan who got it from the nephew of the composer." end quote of Robbie McMahon