The tune referred to by Dillwyn was that popularly known as Erin go bragh (Ireland forever). Its origins are somewhat controversial. Around 1792 George Nugent Reynolds of Co. Leitrim (d. 1802) composed a song entitled The exiled Irishman's lamentation (commencing: ‘Green were the fields where my forefathers dwelt o’), which he set to the air of the traditional Irish love song 'S a mhuirnín dílis (Savourneen deelish). In 1801 another song to the same air entitled The exile of Erin (commencing: ‘There came to the beach a poor exile of Erin’), was published anonymously. Both songs include the slogan Erin go brath and not only did they both become popularly known by this title but the traditional air which they had appropriated was also becoming known by it from at least as early as 1804. The authorship of the 1801 song is frequently attributed to the Scottish poet Thomas Campbell (1777–1844) but it seems more probable that it also was composed by Reynolds. While the tune to which Dillwyn refers was, therefore, 'S a mhuirnín dílis, it would be interesting to know which of the two later exile songs his musicians associated with this air, especially as the earlier one expressed strong United Irish or, at least, radical sentiments. The fact that in Killarney it was apparently regarded as a ‘party’ tune would seem to indicate that it was there popularly identified with the earlier, or United Irish, song. Dillwyn, of course, probably only knew the title as being that of a popular Irish air. For detailed information on both air and songs see R. R. Madden, ed., Literary remains of the United Irishmen of l798 (...) (Dublin 1887) 329–54; A. Moffatt, The Minstrelsy of Ireland (...) (London [1898] 262–3; D. J. O'Sullivan, The Bunting Collection of Irish folk music and sings (...) in Irish Folk Song Socierty Journal, VI (1939) 53–60; Rev. P. A. Walsh, The exile of Erin: who wrote it? ... (Dublin, 1921).