Broadside ballad entitled 'Lurgan Braes'

Commentary

Verse 1: 'The Summer time being in its prime, / The weather calm and clear, / My troubled mind no peace can find, / For thinking on my dear'. It was published by James Lindsay of 9 King Street, Glasgow. The woodcut carried above the title depicts a quaint cottage in the forest.

Lurgan, County Amagh, is featured in many broadside ballads, mainly in conjunction with travelling and emigration. This ballad, however, focuses on returning to find an old flame at the height of summer's bloom - so the atmosphere is one of hope and tranquillity. The song featured on many Lindsay's publications, often being published with another love or summer poem. This would have heightened the audience's enjoyment of the sheet, with one poem enhancing the other.

Early ballads were dramatic or humorous narrative songs derived from folk culture that predated printing. Originally perpetuated by word of mouth, many ballads survive because they were recorded on broadsides. Musical notation was rarely printed, as tunes were usually established favourites. The term 'ballad' eventually applied more broadly to any kind of topical or popular verse.

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