Thanks, Richie. That doesn't leave a whole lot of room for doubt, does it? I wonder, though, whether the idea that John Hardy sang the song on the gallows scaffold has any credibility or if it's just part of the legend. But then, one could ask the same question about a number of folk songs and fiddle tunes that were supposedly written and performed under the same circumstances. The fiddle tune "Last of Callaghan" comes to mind.

Bruce