“Fare Ye Well, Enniskillen (The Inniskillen Dragoon)”

Description

The soldier is leaving his beautiful Enniskillen. He grieves to leave home and his fair darling, but when war arises, he has no choice. (He rejoices following his safe arrival home, and hopes never to leave again)

Notes

The reference to the soldier setting out for Spain probably implies a date during the war of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) or the Peninsular phase of the Napoleonic Wars.

Roud lists Sam Henry #631 as a separate song (#6890), but since he has only the one item by that number, it seems better to lump. - RBW

Broadsides NLScotland L.C.1270(005)[c.1845], Bodleian Firth c.14(179)[n.d.], Bodleian Firth c.26(211)[1855-1858] and Bodleian Firth b.26(199)[1847-1852]: a final verse is added in which they marry when the war is over.

Broadside LOCSinging sb10110a: H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site.

The date and master id (GB-5416-1/2) for Hayward's record is provided by Bill Dean-Myatt, MPhil. compiler of the Scottish National Discography. - BS

Cross references

• cf. "A Damsel Possessed of Great Beauty"
• cf. "Wyandotte's Farewell Song"

Broadsides

• Bodleian, Harding B 11(1760), "Inniskillen Dragoon", J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also 2806 c.15(251), Harding B 11(1293), Harding B 11(4221), "Inniskillen Dragoon"; Harding B 19(103), Harding B 26(169), 2806 c.15(124), Firth c.14(179), Firth c.14(181), Firth b.26(199), Harding B 18(617), "Enniskillen Dragoon"
• Murray, Mu23-y1:074, "Inniskillen Dragoon," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C
• LOCSinging, sb10110a, "Enniskillen Dragoon", H. De Marsan (New York), 1859-1860
• NLScotland, L.C.1270(005), "Inniskillen Dragoon", James Kay (Glasgow), c.1845

References

1. Eddy 150, "Fare Ye Well, Inniskillen" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
2. SHenry H631, p. 294, "Fare Ye Well, Enniskillen"; H98b, pp. 472-473, "The Inniskilling Dragoon" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
3. Ord, p. 306, "The Enniskillen Dragoon" (1 text)
4. Fowke/MacMillan 74, "The Enniskillen Dragoon" (1 text, 1 tune)
5. O'Conor, p. 78, "The Enniskellen Dragoon" (1 text)
6. Tunney-SongsThunder, pp. 63-64, "The Enniskilling Dragoon" (1 text)
7. DT, (ENNISDRG*?) ENNISDR2*
8. ADDITIONAL: Richard Hayward, Ireland Calling (Glasgow,n.d.), pp. 12-13, "The Inniskilling Dragoon" (text, music and reference to Decca F-3374 recorded Dec 31, 1932)
9. Roud #2185
10. BI, E150