Fwd: Re: Irish song -- what century and which war?

[Joel S. Berson]

 From another list, experts in the (long) eighteenth century, a
correspondent writes:
>http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/Siuil_A_Ruin.shtml
>
>the spelling is a bit different, but here's a bit on the song--how
>accurate, I cannot say.

If this site is correct (and it says "words and music by
traditional"), James Landau's comment "So the song apparently goes
back to, at the latest, the Battle of the Boyne (1690)" seems
remarkably accurate:  The site says "The verses of this song refer to
a lover's enlistment in the Irish Brigade who left Ireland after the
Williamite War (1691) to serve in the French Army. In Ireland these
gallant soldiers were referred to as 'Wild Geese.'"

Joel

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