Highlands Songbook

The Complete Songbook: Highlands Songbook Lite.pdf (Sept. 2019)

A Jug of Punch

First line: "One pleasant evening in the month of June"

Sheet Music:
A Jug Of Punch-Irish Folk Songs.pdf

A Jug of Punch, The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, "In Person at Carnegie Hall," New York, NY - March 17, 1963

A Jug of Punch, The Dubliners

A Jug of Punch, The Kingston Trio, from their LP "Make Way

A Jug of Punch, Pete Seeger with Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon, "Pete Seeger at the Village Gate, Vol. 2"

A Scottish Soldier

First line:  "There was a soldier, a Scottish soldier"

Lyrics by Andy Stewart (1960)
Tune: "The Green Hills of Tyrol"

A Scottish Soldier, Andy Stewart (1960 45 RPM Recording)

A Scottish Soldier, Andy Stewart and the pipes and drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

A Scottish Soldier, David Whitfield

The Green Hills of Tyrol, - The Pipes of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards from their album "Auld Lang Syne"

Black Velvet Band

First line: "In a neat little town they call Belfast"

Sheet Music:
The Black Velvet Band-C.pdf

The Black Velvet Band-G.pdf

Black Velvet Band, The Dubliners, "The Definitive Collection"

Black Velvet Band, The Irish Rovers, "The Irish Rovers 50 Years - Vol. 1"

Danny Boy

First line: "Oh Danny Boy"

Lyrics: Frederic Weatherly  (1913)
Tune: "Londonderry Air"

Sheet Music:
Danny Boy_Lead Sheet.pdf

Danny Boy, Celtic Women (all four verses)

Danny Boy, Bing Crosby (verses 1 & 2, repeating v. 2)

Londonderry Air (Reprise) (Celtic harp & tin whistle), Claire Hamilton from her album "Northern Ireland"

Londonderry Air, Sir James Galway, "In Concert at Armagh Cathedral"

Maid of Fife-E-O

First line: "There once was a troop of Irish dragoons"

Also known as "There once was a troop o' Irish dragoons," "The Maid of Fife," "The Auld Maid of Fife," "The Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie," "Peggy-O", and "Fennario"

Sheet Music:
The Maid of Fife Sheet Music - 1.pdf

The Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie, The Dubliners

Maid of Fife-E-O, The Clancy Brothers

The Maid of Fife, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

Maid of Fife-E-O, Sean Sinnott

The Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie, The Corries

The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie, The Irish Rovers, From "The Irish Rovers Gems"

Mary Mac

First line: "There's a little lass and her name is Mary Mac"

Sheet Music:
Mary Mack Sheet Music 1.pdf

Mary Mac, Makem & Clancy

Mary Mac, Seamus Kennedy, from "Bar Rooms & Ballads"

Men of Harlech
Also known as "Through Seven Years"

Men of Harlech
First line: "Tongues of fire on Idris flaring"

Welsh: Rhyfelgyrch Gwyr Harlech
There are as many as six different English lyrics for this melody.

Describes events during the seven-year siege of Harlech Castle, 1461 - 1468, the longest known siege in the history of the British Isles.

Sheet Music:
March of the Men of Harlech-Partionsdechansons.com.pdf

Men of Harlech, Anonymous

Men of Harlech, Charlotte Church (Live From Brixton Academy)

Men of Harlech, The Band & Male Voice Choir Of The Prince of Wales's Division

Men of Harlech, Bryn Terfel, Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, from "We'll Keep A Welcome"

Molly Malone

First line: "In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty,"

Also known as "Cockles and Mussels" or "In Dublin's Fair City"

Sheet Music:
Molly Malone_Lead Sheet.pdf

Molly Malone, The Dubliners

Molly Malone, The Dubliners from "Dubliners Live"

Molly Malone, The Irish Rovers

Molly Malone, Sinead O'Connor

Scotland The Brave

First line: "Hark when the night is falling, Hear! Hear! The pipes are calling"

Scottish Gaelic: Alba an Àigh (1911)

The lyrics commonly used were written about 1950 by the Scottish journalist Cliff Hanley for the singer Robert Wilson.

Sheet Music:
Scotland The Brave - Melody Line.pdf

Scotland the Brave, Anonymous Bagpipes

Scotland the Brave, 1st Battalion Scots Guards Pipe Band, Dundee, Tayside, Scotland

Scotland the Brave, The Pipes & Drums of The Royal Tank Regiment

Scotland the Brave, The Isle of Cumbrae Pipe Band as they march out of Braemar, Scotland

The Gypsy Rover
Also known as "The Whistling Gypsy"

First line: "A gypsy rover came over the hill" 

Composed and copyrighted by Dublin songwriter Leo Maguire in the 1950s.

Sheet Music:
The Gypsy Rover Sheet Music - 1.pdf

The Whistling Gypsy, Joe Lynch (first recording, 1952)

The Whistling Gypsy, Rose Brennan (1953)

The Whistling Gypsy, The Clancy Brothers

The Gypsy Rover, Irish Rovers Singalong

The Gypsy Rover, The Highwaymen

The Gypsy Rover, The Seekers from "Roving With The Seekers"

The Whistling Gypsy, Seamus Kennedy

The Gypsy Rover, The Kingston Trio

The Unicorn Song

First line: "A long time ago, when the Earth was green"

Written and Recorded by Shel Silverstein (1962)

The Unicorn Song, Shel Silverstein (1962)

The Unicorn Song, The Dubliners

The Unicorn Song, The Irish Rovers, "The Ultimate St. Patrick's Day Celebration"

The Wild Colonial Boy

First line: "There was a wild colonial boy"

Wild Colonial Boy, The Irish Rovers

Wild Colonial Boy, The Irish Rovers  (with lyrics)

Wild Colonial Boy, The Clancy Brothers

Wild Colonial Boy, The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem

The Wild Colonial Boy / River Cottage, The Dublin Screen Orchestra conducted by Kenneth Alwyn, from the movie "The Quiet Man" (1952)

The Wild Rover

First line: "And it's no, nay, never"

Sheet Music:
The Wild Rover-C.pdf

The Wild Rover (No Nay Never), The Dubliners

The Wild Rover, The Dubliners

The Wild Rover, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

The Wild Rover, The Pogues

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

First line: "There's a tear in your eye, and I'm wondering why"

Sheet Music:
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling-Original Sheet Music.pdf

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Bing Crosby; Bing only sings verses 1 & 2, repeating verse 2.

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, The Irish Tenors (John McDermott, Anthony Kearns and Ronan Tynan)

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Dennis Day

Whiskey in the Jar

First line: "As I was goin' over the far famed Kerry Mountains"

Contrary to common belief, The Clancy Brothers never recorded the song. The confusion stems from the album "Irish Drinking Songs," which is composed of separate tracks by The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers, with The Dubliners performing "Whiskey in the Jar" and the Clancy Brothers singing "Whiskey, You're The Devil", in which the line "There's whiskey in the jar" occurs several times.

Sheet Music:
Whiskey In The Jar-FreeSheetMusic.net.pdf

Whiskey in the Jar, The Highwaymen (the original 1950s group of Dave Fisher, Bob Burnett, Steve Trott, Chan Daniels, Steve Butts, not the later country quartet) from their LP "Encore" (1962)

Whiskey in the Jar, The Dubliners (1960s)

Whiskey in the Jar, The Irish Rovers (with lyrics) (1960s) 

Whiskey in the Jar, Metallica   (1998) (Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance)

Whiskey in the Jar, Thin Lizzy  (1973)

Whiskey In The Jar, The Seekers (1965)

Whiskey In The Jar, Luke Kelly

Whiskey in the Jar, Bryan Adams, Live at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, 21st March 2019

Whiskey In The Jar, Wild Mountain, a Celtic/Bluegrass/Americana band, Live at Clancy's Irish Pub, Wheat Ridge, Colorado

Some Sources for Irish Music:

Lesley Nelson-Burns' The Contemplator's Folk Music Site.

Folk and Traditional Music and Popular Songs, with Lyrics, Midi, Tune Information and History behind the folksongs and ballads. Irish, British and American Folk Music including Francis J. Child Ballads and Sea Shanties.

Irish Songs & Irish Song Lyrics

Irish Songs, Music, Lyrics & Midis, Ireland Information.com

Henrik Norbeck's Lyrics for Irish Songs

Irish Folk Songs, Irish Folk Songs.com

The Dubliner's Songs, Irish Folk Songs.com

The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem Songs, Irish Folk Songs.com

The Irish Rovers Songs, Irish Folk Songs.com

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