John Reilly
Six for Gold track 4
Poor man falls in love with rich man’s daughter - her father does not approve - vows to be rid of the suitor. A very common scenario in traditional song, but with a variety of (not always unhappy ) possible endings.
At first sight this would appear to be an Irish song, but versions have been collected all over Southern England and, indeed, in North America. This tune was taken down on 31st December 1904 from a Mr and Mrs Truell of Gravesend in Kent, by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The words have been combined with those sung by George Dunn from Quarry Bank in Staffordshire, recorded in 1971.