Sprig of Shillelah

A swaggering song in praise of the true Irishman “with his sprig of shillelagh and shamrock so green,” with words traditionally claimed for Edward Lysaght (1763–1810) — the same attributed author as “Kitty of Coleraine” — sung to the melody of “The Black Joke,” an English tune with a famously crooked structure (a six-bar A part against a ten-bar B part) that also served English morris dancing. The tune’s aliases run from “Paddy McShane” to “The Irish Dragoon,” and fiddler Paddy Glackin recorded the instrumental jig, keeping the crooked setting in circulation.