Commentary
The first ballad begins: 'My friend and I struck frae Milngavie, / For Glasgow town we took our way.' 'Feeing time', usually twice a year in the spring and autumn, was when servants and farm hands were employed - normally at a feeing fair. The second ballad begins: 'Yon Irish hereos of Hibernia's nation, / Give ear with patience to what I say'. This lamentation was written by William McNamara. The first ballad is set in Glasgow and is a light-heart narrative, about finding love and a life-long partner on a holiday. The second song is much more serious and has a pro-Irish-Catholic political message. Although not immediately similar, these two ballads were perhaps printed together to appeal to Scotland's large immigrant-Irish population.
View Transcription | Download PDF Facsimile
|
