Lyr Add: Lord Gregory (Child 76) Versions

Subject: Lyr Add: Lord Gregory (Child 76) Versions
From: GUEST,Kevin W. aka Reynard the Fox on Youtube
Date: 15 Jun 25 - 07:12 PM

This is my first time creating a thread on The Mudcat Cafe, I hope I'm doing this correctly and I'm sorry if I'm repeating information here that has been posted elsewhere already.

I want to share a handful of traditional versions of Lord Gregory / Maid of Aughrim / The Lass of Roch Royal (Child 76) from Ireland, Scotland and Canada:

Lord Gregory - Sung by Elizabeth "Bess" Cronin of Ballyvourney, County Cork, Ireland. Seamus Ennis named her (in Irish) "The Muskerry Queen of Song" and deservedly so. Recorded by Jean Ritchie and her husband George Pickow on November 24, 1952. From the accompanying CD to Dáibhí Ó Cróinín's book "The Songs of Elizabeth Cronin, Irish Traditional Singer: The Complete Song Collection" Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2000.

I am a king's daughter that strayed from Cappoquin
In search of Lord Gregory, may God I'll find him
The rain beats at my yellow locks and the dew wets me still
The babe is cold in my arms, Lord Gregory let me in.

Lord Gregory is not here, and henceforth can't be seen,
He is gone to bonny Scotland to bring home his new queen.

Leave now those windows and likewise this hall,
For it's deep in the sea you should hide your downfall.

Who'll shoe my babe's little feet, who'll put gloves on her hands,
And who'll tie my babe's middle with a long and green band?
Who'll comb my babe's yellow locks with an ivory comb,
And who'll be my babe's father till Lord Gregory comes home?

I'll shoe your babe's little feet, I'll put gloves on her hands,
And I'll tie your babe's middle with a long and green band;
I'll comb your babe's yellow locks with an ivory comb,
And I'll be your babe's father till Lord Gregory comes home.

Leave now those windows and likewise this hall,
For it's deep in the sea you should hide your downfall.

Do you remember, Lord Gregory, that night in Cappoquin,
When we both changed pocket handkerchiefs, and that against my will?
For yours was pure linen, love, and mine was coarse cloth,
Yours cost one guinea, love, and mine but one groat.

Leave now...

Do you remember, Lord Gregory, that night in Cappoquin,
We both changed rings off our fingers, and that against my will?
For yours was pure silver, love, and mine was block tin,
Yours cost one guinea, love, and mine but one cent.

Leave now...

Do you remember, Lord Gregory, that night in my father's hall,
When you stole away my fond heart, and that was worse than all?

Leave now...

The rain beats at my yellow locks and the dew wets me still
The babe is cold in my arms, Lord Gregory let me in.

My curse on you, mother, and my curse it being sore,
Sure I dreamt the Lass of Arrams came rapping to my door.
Lie down, you foolish son, and lie down and sleep,
For 'tis long ago her weary locks are waving on the deep.

Come saddle me the black horse, the brown or the bay,
Come saddle me the best horse in my stable this day.
I'll range over valleys and o'er mountains so wide,
Till I find the Lass of Arrams, and I lie by her side.

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/C5CFMrhr4m4

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Maid of Aughrim - Sung by Thomas Moran of Mohill, County Leitrim, Ireland. Recorded by Seamus Ennis for the BBC in December 1954. Tom Moran said he learned it from a neighbour who "never crossed a cow track" (never traveled anywhere).

Oh the rain rains at my yellow locks
And the dew drops on my chin
My baby's cold in my arms
Lord Gregory let me in

If you be the Maid of Aughrim
As I took you to be
Tell me the last token
Passed between you and me

Don't you remember, Lord Gregory
Upon my own father's hill
When we swapped 'chiefs and shirts
All against my own will

So he opened the door
He awoke from his sleep
She let herself and her bonny babe
Fall into the deep

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/MdOlGdfnPOc

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Maid of Aughrim - Sung by Peggy Delaney (neé McCarthy), a Traveller of Cahirciveen, County Kerry, Ireland. Recorded by Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie between 1973 and 1985.

Peggy learned it when a child from her father, Michael McCarthy Snr., a travelling tinsmith and horse dealer, born in Kilrush, Co Clare, of Tipperary parentage.

"I am the maid of Aughrim,
As they take me now for to be,
And I am in search of young Henery:
Pray to God I will him see.
The rain it has wet my yellow locks
And the snow has beat my skin,
And the babe cold in my arms,
Will you rise up and let me in."

"If you are the maid of Aughrim
As I take you now for to be,
What is your last token
Between you and young Henery?"
"It is well I do remember
That night in your father’s hall,
When you stole away my poor heart,
The fairest of them all."

"Who will boot your pretty foot
And who will glove your hands,
Who will lace your slender waist
Which young Henry oft-times spanned;
Who will comb your yellow locks
With that brown and berry comb,
And who will be the babe’s father
'Til young Henery will come home?"

"My father will boot my pretty foot,
And my brother will glove my hand,
My sister will lace my slender waist
As Henry oft-times spanned,
My mother will comb my yellow locks
With that brown and berry comb,
And God will be the babe's father
'Til young Henery will come home."

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/3jD0ifLi4BM

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Maid of Aughrim - Sung by Patrick "Jaws" Ward, a settled Traveller in County Galway, Ireland. He was born in March 1941 in County Leitrim. Recorded by Sam Lee for The Song Collectors Collective on 08.01.2016.

Jaws says there was more of the song but he doesn't know the rest of it. He never heard anyone but his father sing it.

For she came to her love's door
Will you please let me in
For the baby in my arms
Will famish and die

For if you're the bonny lass of Arrams
Will you tell unto me
The very first token
Came between me and thee

Oh do you mind one evening
When you're coming from school
When we swapped the rings together
And me thought it but hard

For mine was pure silver
And yours of block tin
And mine cost one guinea
And a ... of him

Will you open up the door
And please let me in
For the baby in my arms
Will famish and die

If you're the bonny lass of Arrams
Will you tell unto me
The second famous token
Came between me and thee

Oh do you mind one evening
And we come home from school
When we swapped our handkerchiefs together
And we thought it but hard

When mine was pure linen
And yours of scotch cloth
And mine cost two guineas
And ... at all

Oh I pray open up the door
And let me come in
For the baby in my arms
Oh will famish and die

It is mother, dearest mother
Sure I had a sad dream
I dreamed the bonny lass of Aughrim
Was in a cold water stream

Oh then son, dearest son
Won't you have your sound sleep
For the bonny lass of Arrams
She is ploughing the deep

Oh then mother, dearest mother
Oh then what have you done
But to drown my fine baby
And her mother dear

Oh it's mother, dearest mother
It's cursed you'll be
For to drown my lovely baby
And her mother dear

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/lqQ5d5pS6rk

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Maid of Aughrim - Sung by Kathleen Ward, a settled Traveller in County Galway, Ireland. Recorded by Sam Lee for The Song Collectors Collective on 09.01.2016.

Who will shoe my little foot
Or who will comb my locks
Or who will be my babe's dadda
Till I'll come home?

Oh the rain rain beats my yellow locks
And the dew beats my skin
For the baby in my arms
True love, let me in

Oh what was the first token
Oh between me and you
When we swapped those schoolbooks together
Oh then ... true

Oh mine cost ten guineas
And yours but one penny

Oh the rain rain beats my yellow locks
And the dew beats my skin
For the baby in my arms
Oh true love, let me in

Oh what was the second token
Oh between me and you
When we swapped those scarfs together
Oh in ... true

Oh mine was pure linen
And yours was plain cloth
Oh then mine cost ten guineas
And yours but one cent

For the rain rain beats my yellow locks
And the dew beats my skin
For the baby in my arms
Oh true love, let me in

Oh it was in the morn
Oh before the day broke
Oh he woke up his mother
And it was he did say

Oh mother, dearest mother
Oh I had a sad dream
That my true love and baby
In the cold water swim

Oh lay down my false young man
And have your night's sleep
For the bonny lass of Arrams
Is ploughing now the deep

Oh cursed be you mother
Oh but night long and day
You have me and the lass of Arrams
In spite now...

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/4dEn-fpvsWk

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Lord Gregory - First sung, then recited by Charlotte Higgins, a settled Traveller of Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland. Recorded by Hamish Henderson in 1962.

O, open the door, Lord Gregory,
O, open and let me in;
For the rain rins doon my bonnie yellow hair,
And the dew falls on your son.

O, open the door, Lord Gregory,
O, open and let me in.

O, do you mind, O do you mind. Lord Gregory
When we sat on the hill together?
We exchanged the rings off one another's hand,
But I vowed that the best was mine,
Ay, I vowed that the best was mine.

Mine was o' guid gold,
And yours was o' silver fine.

O, do you mind. Lord Gregory,
When we exchanged the cloaks off one another's back,
And I vowed that the best was mine.

O, open the door. Lord Gregory,
O, open and let me in.
For the rain rins doon my bonnie yellow hair,
And the rain falls on your son.

Go 'wa', go 'wa', you ill woman,
Go 'wa', go 'wa', you ill woman.

He says, 'O mother dear, I dreamed a dream,
I hope it won't come true;
I dreamed that the lass of Lochinvar
Was knocking at the door for me.
Ay, knocking at the door for me.'

She said, 'The lass of Lochinvar
Was knocking at the door for you
More than three-quarters of an hour ago.'

O woe be unto you, mother,
Wae be unto you again,
And woe be unto you, mother,
That did not let her in.

Go saddle to me the black or the brown,
Go saddle to me the grey.
He rode and he rode and he faster than rode
Till he come to the nearest town.
And there he spied two men,
Carrying a corpse away,
And the water rinning down,
And the water rinning down.

'O lay down, O lay down this corpse,' he said,
'And lay them down wi' care.
You will drink a strong drink over them,
But you'll drink far stronger over me.'

They were both buried in the one grave,
There was a red rose grew out of one lover's grave,
And a briar out of the other.

They twisted and twined and better than twined,
Till a true-lover's knot they made.

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/-XHyOnvMC20

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Lord Gregory - Sung by Annie Kidd of Ivy Cottage, Glen Ythan, Rothienorman, Scotland. Recorded by Dr James Madison Carpenter 1929c-1935c. Learned from sister, Annie Bannerman, Upper Rashie Slack, Ythan Wells, sixty-five years ago. Had not seen in print. Sister, while spinning, sang a hundred songs without stopping.

I'm nae a witch nor a warlock,
Nor mermaid o' the sea,
For I'm young Annie o' Lochroyan,
Come seeking Lord Gregory.

(The tune is Dives and Lazarus - Note by Kevin W.)

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/LfeyX-Orc-c

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Lord Gregory - Sung by LaRena Clark (Mrs Gordon Clark) of Richmond, Ontario, Canada. Recorded by Edith Fowke in 1962.

"Oh Mother, I had a warning dream,
Oh Mother, I had a dream.
I dreamed the bonny lass of Lochland Lane
Was tapping to get in."

"Lie down, lie down, Lord Gregory,
Lie down and take a sleep,
It was just an hour and a half ago,
She was tapping at your gate."

"Oh you vile woman, oh you vile woman,
Oh you vile woman you!
Why didn't you rise and let her in
Or even waken me?

"Sell to me your grey mare,
Or sell to me the brown,
Or sell to me the fastest horse
That ever a man rode on."

Then he rode east and he rode west,
And he rode all around.
He rode till he came to the Lochland Lane
And there he found her dead.

A dark cloak covered her form divine,
A plaid shawl round her head,
And in her bosom he found a note,
And this is what it read:

"Do you remember, Lord Gregory,
When we sat on yonders hill,
We changed the rings from each other's fingers,
But oh mine was the best!

"Mine was of the pure, pure gold,
And yours was scarcely tin,
But mine was fond and full of love,
And yours proved false within."

"Deal fast, deal fast your bread and wine,
Deal fast and so you may,
For tomorrow morning at this same hour
You'll deal the same for me."

He was buried in St. Mary's churchyard,
She in the Lochland Lane,
And from her grave there grew a rose
And out from his a briar,

And those two grew and those two flew,
And those two twined together,
And every person who passed thereby
Said those two loved each other.

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/gY0LbOlQBzc

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A very full text was sung by Ewan MacColl. He learned it in Corsham, Wiltshire in 1953 from his aunt Margaret "Maggie" Henry Logan, the sister of Ewan's mother Betsy Miller. She was 74 years old at the time and originally came from Perthshire, Scotland.

I don't doubt that Aunt Maggie sang the ballad, but I find it hard to believe that her text was as complete as what Ewan MacColl recorded. I think he filled out the text with stanzas taken from print. It's interesting that neither Ewan MacColl's text nor the one sung by Jean Ritchie include the "Come saddle me..." stanza which is common to all the longer texts from recent oral tradition.

Here's the text as Ewan MacColl recorded it on the 1956 Riverside album "The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) Volume IV":

O wha will lace my shoes sae sma’,
And wha’ will glove my hand,
And wha will lace my middle sae jimp,
Wi’ my new-made linen band?

O wha will trim my yellow hair,
Wi’ my new siller kaim,
And wha will faither my young son
Till Lord Gregory comes hame?

But I will get a bonnie boat,
And I will sail the sea,
For I maun gang tae Lord Gregory,
Since he canna come hame to me.

O row your boat, my mariners,
And bring me to the land,
For yonder I see my love’s castel,
Close by the saut-sea strand.

O open the door, Lord Gregory,
Open and let me in,
For the wind blows through my yellow hair
And I’m shiverin’ to the chin.

Awa’, awa’, ye wile woman,
Some ill death may ye dee,
Ye’re but some witch or wild warlock,
Or mermaid o’ the sea.

I’m neither a witch or a wild warlock.
Or mermaid o’ the sea;
But I’m fair Annie o’ Rough Royal,
Then open the door to me.

O dinna you mind, Lord Gregory,
When ye sat at the wine,
Ye changed the rings from our fingers
And I can show thee thine.

O dinna ye mind, Lord Gregory,
When in my faither’s ha’,
’T was there ye got your will o’ me,
And that was worst o’ a’.

Awa’, awa’, ye wile woman,
For here ye sanna win in,
Gae droon ye in the ragin’ sea
Or hang on the gallows pin.

When the cock did craw and the day did daw’,
And the sun began to peep,
Then up did rise Lord Gregory,
And sair, sair did he weep.

I dreamed a dream, my mither, dear,
The thocht oft gars me greet,
I dreamed fair Annie o’ Rough Royal,
Lay cauld deid at my feet.

Gin it be for Annie o’ Rough Royal,
That ye mak’ a’ this din,
She stood last nicht at oor door,
But I didna let her in.

Wae betide ye, ill woman,
Some ill death may ye dee;
That ye wouldna hae letten poor Annie in
Or else hae waukened me.

He’s gane doon to yon sea shore,
As fast as he could fare,
He saw fair Annie in her boat,
And the wind it tossed her sair.

The wind blew loud and the sea grew rough
And the boat was dashed on shore;
Fair Annie floats upon the sea
But her young son rose no more.

Lord Gregory tore his yellow hair,
And made a heavy moan,
Fair Annie’s corpse lay at his feet
But his bonnie young son was gone.

O wae betide ye, cruel mither,
An ill death may ye dee,
For ye turned my true love frae my door
When she cam’ sae far to me.

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/1tlzQBTzkc4

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Perhaps I shouldn't include Jean Ritchie's "Fair Annie of Lochroyan" because it was learned from print. Jean Ritchie had a large repertoire of traditional songs learned from her family, friends and neighbours in Kentucky, but a small number of Child Ballads she learned from her uncle Jason Ritchie originated directly in print. There was no line of oral transmission involved, it can be traced back directly to a Scottish text which was communicated to Sir Walter Scott by a Major Hutton in 1802. Child 76 Version E, "The Lass of Lochroyan", from Scott's Minstrelsy, II, 49, 1802.

I know that differentiating between "source" and "revival" singers or texts is an incredibly murky and controversial topic. Because it is hard, often impossible to draw a line. At some point many of our traditional ballads may have originated in, been learned from, or supported by printed texts. There has always been an exchange between print and oral song tradition.

But I try to at least differentiate between texts that have been circulating in oral tradition for a while and those that have been learned or adapted verbatim from print. Which is the case with Jason Ritchie's "Fair Annie of Lochroyan".

Here's the text as Jean Ritchie sang it on her 1960 Folkways album "British Traditional Ballads in the Southern Mountains, Volume 1":

O who will shoe my bonny feet
And who will glove my hand
And who will kiss my rosy cheeks
While you in a far off land?
      Your Paw will shoe your bonny feet
      Your Maw will glove your hand
      And I will kiss your rosy cheeks
      When I come back again.

O who will build a bonny ship
And set her on the sea
For I will go and seek my love
My own love Gregory.
      O up and spoke her father dear
      And a wealthy man was he
      And he has built a bonny ship
      And set her on the sea.

O he has built a bonny ship
To sail upon the sea
The mast was of the beaten gold
As fine as it could be.
      She had not sailed but twenty leagues,
      But twenty leagues and three
      When she met with a rank robber
      And all of his company.

Are you the Queen of Heaven, he cried,
Come to pardon all our sins
Or are you the Merry Magdelene
That was born at Bethlehem?
      I’m not the Queen of Heaven, said she,
      Come to pardon all your sins
      Nor I’m the Merry Magdelene
      That was born at Bethlehem.

But I am the Lass of Lochroyan
That’s sailing on the sea
To see if I can find my love
My own love Gregory.
      O see you now yon bonny bower
      All covered o’er with thyme
      And when you sailed around and about
      Lord Gregory is within.

Now row the boat my mariners
And bring me to the land
For it’s not I see my true love’s castle
Close by the salt sea strand.
      She sailed around and sailed around
      And loud and long cried she
      Now break, now break your fairy charms
      And set my true love free.

She has taken her young son in her arms
And to the door she’s gone
And long she’s knocked and loud she’s called
But answer she’s got none.
      Open the door Lord Gregory
      Open and let me in
      The wind blows cold, blows cold, my love
      The rain drops from my chin.

The shoe is frozen to my feet
The glove unto my hand
The wet drops from my frozen hair
And I can scarce-lie stand.
      Up then and spoke his ill mother,
      As mean as she could be
      You’re not the Lass of the Lochroyan
      She is far out o’er the sea.

Away, away, you ill woman,
You don’t come here for good,
You’re but some witch who strolls about
Or a mermaid of the flood.
      Now open the doors love Gregory
      Open the doors I pray
      For thy young son is in my arms
      And will be dead ere it is day.

Ye lie, ye lie, ye ill woman,
So loud I hear ye lie,
For Annie of the Lochroyan
Is far out o’er the sea
      Fair Annie turned her round and about
      Well since this all is so
      May never a woman that’s bourne a son
      Have a heart so full of woe.

When the cock had crow’n and the day had dawned
And the sun begun to peep
Up then and raised Lord Gregory
And sore, sore did he weep.
      O I have dream’t a dream Mother
      The thought it grieves me great
      That Fair Annie of the Lochroyan
      Lay dead at my bed feet.

If it be for Annie of Lochroyan
You make all of this moan
She stood last night at your bower window
But I have sent her home
      O he’s gone down unto the shore
      To see what he could see
      And there he saw fair Annie’s barque
      Come a-roarin’ o’er the sea.

O Annie, oh Annie, loud he cried
O Annie, oh Annie, my dear
But all the loud that he did cry
Fair Annie she could not hear.
      The wind blew loud, the waves rose high
      And dashed the boat on shore
      Fair Annie’s corpse was in the foam
      The babe rose never more.

Then first he kissed her pale, pale cheeks
And then he kissed her chin
And then he kissed her cold, cold lips
There was no breath within.
      O woe betide my ill mother,
      An ill death may she die
      She has not been the death of one
      But she has been the death of three.

Then he took out a little dart
That hung down by his side
And thrust it through and through his heart
And then fell down and died.

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/F9gxe8ccN70

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Lord Gregory - Sung by Stanley Robertson of Aberdeen, Scotland. Nephew of Jeannie Robertson. Recorded by Barbara McDermitt on 1984.05.26.

This is "Mirk, Mirk Is the Midnight Hour", Robert Burns' adaption of the ballad as published in George Thomson's "A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs" (1798, 38). The first two verses about the boat are traditional, Stanley learned them from a girl in Glasgow, but the remainder and the tune he got from a book and they follow the Burns version verbatim.

The tune was published by James Johnson in "The Scots Musical Museum" (Vol I, No 5) in 1787. It bears resemblance to the widespread Miller of Dee tune.

For I will sail a bonnie boat
And I will sail the sea
And I will go tae Lord Gregory
Since he cannae come tae me.
Oh, row ye boat, ye mariners
An bring me safe to the land
For I am weak and cauld, my love
And the saut sea aches my banes.

Mirk, oh mirk is the midnight hours,
And wild the winds they roar
A woeful wanderer seeks thy bower
Lord Gregory, open thy door!
An exile frae her father's ha',
Aa' for the love o thee;
At least some pity on me show,
If love it cannae be.

Remember ye, Lord Gregory,
By bonnie Irvine's side,
When ye first taen my virgin love
That lang I hae denied.
'Twas then that thou did pledge an vow,
That thou wid aye be mine;
And mine ane hairt itsel' sae true,
It ne'er mistrusted thine.

Hard is thy hairt, Lord Gregory,
An flinty is thy breast.
Thou stars of heaven look doon on me,
Look doon and gie me rest!
Ye mustering angels of above
Yer willing victim see!
But spare an pardon my false love
For his wrang tae heaven and me.

The recording can be listened to here:
https://youtu.be/BMUprRzKTuk

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I decided not to include lyrical songs using the "Who will shoe my pretty feet?" stanzas. They're common floaters and there's no proof that they originated with Child 76.

And that's all from me for now. Perhaps someone gets enjoyment out of it. It's one of my favourite Child Ballads and I had fun listening to, transcribing and comparing versions.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lord Gregory (Child 76) Versions
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 16 Jun 25 - 02:41 PM

It would be good to see some comparisons you've made and and any concluding ideas, on such as transmission, chronology, etc.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lord Gregory (Child 76) Versions
From: Reinhard
Date: 16 Jun 25 - 04:41 PM

This is an impressive collection but you list only for Elizabeth Cronin's version where you got it from. I'd like to know what the published sources (album, book, web archive) of the other recordings are.

The transctription you give for Charlotte Higgins is quite different from what's sung on your YouTube link; e.g. at 0:44 she sings:

"For the rain falls on your bonny son
And the dew does fall on me"

and not "And the dew/rain falls on your son".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lord Gregory (Child 76) Versions
From: GUEST,Kevin W. aka Reynard the Fox on Youtube
Date: 23 Jun 25 - 11:54 AM

I'm not a scholar, only a ballad enthusiast, sadly I don't think I'd be able to contribute much of worth when it comes to analysing sources, ways of transmission etc..

I wish I could be more helpful in that regard. I created this topic to give an overview over audio recordings of traditional versions of Child 76 known to me. I've been collecting recordings of ballads from traditional singers as a hobby for many years.

All the recordings of Child 76 I gathered can be found in a Youtube playlist I created here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgvzUf8fD3o&list=PLVDpl8vHMkO-CfCb5dOI7762tT9Krl

Some of them came from CD, cassette and vinyl records I bought myself, others came from online archives such as the Tobar an Dualchais /Kist o Riches website:
https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/

I know the lines between tradition and revival are murky, as anyone with an interest in singing is happy to learn new songs, including source singers. But my main interest is in performances where it can be safe to assume the song had been circulating for a while and hasn't been learned directly from a book or a recording. Singing styles vary greatly from singer to singer and between generations, so it's hard to say what a traditional style is. I'm reminded of younger Traveller and Gypsy singers who sang the folk songs of their parents but adopted a cowboy style of singing from records they listened to. But often you can tell if a song was in circulation for a while or if it came directly from a fixed (print or record) source.

The transcription of Charlotte Higgins' text I provided came from a recording made by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger in 1963. It was included in their book "Travellers' Songs From England and Scotland - Songs collected in 1962-1976" from 1977 which had been reissued as a CD together with the original field recordings by Musical Traditions in 2015. The song was recited, not sung on that occasion and there are differences compared to earlier recordings. I'm sorry for not reflecting that accurately in my post above.

One thing I did notice is that a few Child 76 performances from traditional singers in Ireland are identical to Mrs Elizabeth Cronin of West Cork's version, whether by oral transmission or via recordings of her singing re-entering tradition I don't know.

The performances descended from Mrs Cronin's version are:

Lord Gregory - Sung by Ollie Conway of Mullagh, Co. Clare. Recorded by Tom Munnelly on February 1st, 1985. From "Early Ballads in Ireland 1968-1985" (1985) Folk Music Society of Ireland.

Ollie Conway (b.1922) farmer/publican, Mullagh, Co. Clare, in his tiny pub on a freezing 1 February 1985. Ollie is well known in his locality as a fine traditional dancer and one of the most popular singers in West Clare. He learned the ballad from the late Sinie Crotty of Kilbaha, Co. Clare; it seems to derive from Mrs Elisabeth Cronin, Co...Cork. Rec. TM.

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Lord Gregory - Sung by Siney Crotty of Ross, Kilbaha. Recorded by Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie at ‘The Singers Club’ in London in the mid-1970s.

Note by Jim Carroll:
“Originating in Scotland, ballad scholar Dr Hugh Shields has traced its first recorded discovery in Ireland in 1850 right through to its last recording from County Clare singer, Ollie Conway in 1985, via its inclusion in James Joyce’s short story ‘The Dead’.

Refrence:
The History of The Lass of Aughrim, Dr. Hugh Shields
The Dead (short story) from Dubliners, James Joyce
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, F.J. Child
The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
The Songs of Elizabeth Cronin, Dáibhí Ó Cróinín

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Lord Gregory - Sung by Joe Heaney (Sheosaimh Uí Éanaí "Joe Éinniú") of Carna, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. Recorded by Cynthia Thiessen at the University of Washington, Seattle on 06/03/1978.

Of the Child Ballads collected in Ireland, this one appears to have been particularly popular in Conamara. Unlike An Tiarna Randal, however, it was never translated into Irish, but was sung only in English. Joe told Lucy Simpson that he heard it from a number of people growing up, including his father and his second cousin, Colm Keane.

This was recorded while Joe was Artist in Residence at University of Washington.

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Of the recordings from Ireland known to me only Thomas Moran of County Leitrim's fragment and Irish Traveller versions are distinct from Mrs Cronin's text and tune.

I'd be very interested in reading Hugh Shields' article "The History of The Lass of Aughrim", which answers the question of origin and line of transmission in Ireland, but I don't have access to it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lord Gregory (Child 76) Versions
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Jun 25 - 08:35 AM

I've been following your Youtube ballad page for over a year, and am always pleased to see additions to my collection of recorded Child Ballads.
   I now have 141 versions of #76.
It is often tricky to accurately transcribe what singers actually sing, due to pronunciation, 'the folk process'... etc, but as you see, Mudcat readers will offer corrections and suggestions.
   Thanks for your efforts...