 This song was written by Anthony Murphy of Liverpool, and has been recorded by bands such as The Irish Rovers, The Wolfe Tones, Paddy Reilly, the Brobdingnagian Bards, and The Spinners and among others.It is sung to the same tune as "The Wearing of the Green", which is also used in "The Rising of the Moon", another Irish ballad.Liverpool, home to a great many Irish immigrants, has a large number of Catholics.