ged the Rotunda, Dublin,
for a week. They called themselves the "Emerald Minstrels," and gave an
entertainment--"Terence's Fireside; or the Irish Peasant at Home." I was
one of the minstrels. The entertainment consisted of Irish national
songs and harmonized choruses, interspersed with stories such as might
be told around an Irish fireside. There was a sketch at the finish,
winding up with a jig.

At my suggestion, one of the pieces in our programme was "O'Donnell
Aboo!" which first appeared in the "Nation" of January 28th, 1843, under
the title of "The Clan-Connell War Song--A.D. 1597," the air to which it
was to be sung being given as "Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu," This was the
name of the boat song commencing "Hail to the Chief," from Sir Walter
Scott's poem of "The Lady of the Lake." This was published in 1810, and
set to music for three voices soon afterwards by Count Joseph Mazzinghi,
a distinguished composer of Italian extraction, born in London.

As "Roderigh Vich Alpine" was the air given by Mr. McCann himself as
that to which his song was to be sung, we, of course, used Mazzinghi's
music in our entertainment.

One night--I think it was our first--at the close of our entertainment
in Dublin, a gentleman came behind to see us. It was Mr. McCann. He was
pleased, he said, we were singing his song, but would like us to use an
air to which it was being sung in Ireland, and which _he had put to it
himself_. He also told us he had made some alterations in the _words_ of
the song, and was good enough to write into my "Spirit of the Nation"
the changes he had made. This copy is the original folio edition, with
music, published in 1845. It was presented to me by the members of St.
Nicholas's Boys' Guild, Liverpool. I have that book still, and value it
all the more as containing the handwriting of the distinguished poet. (I
should say, however, that most of my friends do not consider the
alterations in the song to be improvements.)

The measure and style of "O'Donnell Aboo!" were evidently imitated from
Sir Walter Scott's boat song. Besides this strong resemblance, there is
the fact that Mr. McCann gave as the air to which his song was to be
sung, "Roderigh Vich Alpine," part of the burden of Sir Walter's song.

But not only is there a resemblance in the words and general style, but
in the music. Indeed, it seems to me that most of the fine air of
"O'Donnell Aboo!" as it is now sung is based on Mazzinghi's
music--either