Tom Jones ~ Danny Boy

Tom Jones ~ Danny Boy...The ballad, Danny Boy, is one of the first songs that come to mind when speaking of Irish Songs. The words were written by Frederick Weatherly, a lawyer and lyricist. Weatherly was an Englishman and wrote thousands of songs and had at least fifteen hundred of them published. He was so well known and respected that composers vied to get their hands on his lyrics. He was not only well known for his lyrics, but also for his law career. He did not become a lawyer until he was thirty-nine years of age and often appeared for the defense. Danny Boy was originally written in 1910 to a different tune then the one we know today. The story goes that his American sister-in-law sent him the tune we know today. Margaret, his sister-in-law, heard the tune from Irish immigrants in the Colorado gold mines. Upon hearing it she immediately thought of Fred and his numerous lyrics. She asked for a copy of the music and sent it on to her brother-in-law. Frederick Weatherly set the words of Danny Boy to the tune known as Londonderry Air in 1913, with just a few minor changes in the lyrics. The tune we know as Londonderry Air was first published in an 1855 collection titled "Ancient Music of Ireland." Jane Ross is said to have heard a local fiddler playing the tune and wrote it out. When she sent the melody to George Petrie for the publication of the aforementioned book. The song had no title, but believing it was associated with the Irish County of Derry or Londonderry, was given the title Londonderry Air.