Having heard this song often in many a folk club over the years I recently added it to my anti-war repertoire. It's a very early Irish anti-war song dating from around 1795 to 1818 thought to relate to the Kandyan Wars, of that time, in Siri Lanka, which many Irish men fought in. The Athy mentioned in the first line is in Co Kildaire.

Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya

This is a traditional Irish song that I first heard sung by Irish singer/musician Andy Irvine. It's a cheerful wee drink related song that true to form includes reference to "Nancy's whiskey". I've been singing it since early 1980s and here accompany it with guitar and my recently acquired Kentucky mandolin.

The Longford Weaver

This very well known Scottish song, sometimes called "Purple Heather" first appeared in Robert Archibald Smith's Scottish Minstrel(1821-24) which well predates the claim from Irishman Francis McPeake that he wrote the song for his wife. Neither is "lassie" a word I have heard in common usage in Ireland so for me it is a Scottish song, always has been, always will be! It must be one of the first Trad songs I ever learned.

Will Ye Go Lassie Go

My good friend, the great fiddler, the late Derek (Happy)Hoy, gave me this song when we were searching out songs for "Ard-Ri", a band we shared (mid 1970s) with the brothers Dermot & Brendan Hyde and fiddler Peter McClements. Earlier in the 1970s I had  played alongside Peter & Happy in "Wee Willum".  It's another Jacobite song written after 1745 and the Jacobite's final defeat at Culloden Moor when any show of sympathy for the Jacobite cause was likely to be punished. Therefore in order to disguise it's true message this song of love and support for Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender was written in metaphor. It is sung to a beautiful fiddle air which Colin MacLeod plays to end the song. This recording is included on my 2004 "Hey You" album.

My Bonnie Moorhen

This is a ballad from the Scottish borders with the lyrics written by the famous writer Sir Walter Scott. The young lady is wooed by the son of the local Laird but is not interested as she only has eyes for Jock O' Hazeldean. Marraige to "young Frank who's chief of Errington" is arranged  against her wishes but on the wedding day she runs off and escapes over the border with her true love. The tune is often played as a waltz at weddings and ceilidhs.

Jock O' Hazeldean

I first heard this traditional Irish song sung by Paul Brady on the classic 1970s album he recorded with Andy Irvine. It's simply a great song and I've been singing it ever since. I use my Nigel Forster bouzouki as my main backing on this recording.

Mary & The Soldier

I first heard this Trad English folk song on the first ever Steeleye Span album "Hark The Village Wait" and it was later recorded by Andy Irvine with Planxty. I've been singing and  playing the song since about 1970. The guitar arrangement is my own influenced from both of the above mentioned recordings.

The Blacksmith

A great jaunty wee Robert Burns song that I first heard sung by the late much missed Willie Beaton in the Scotia Bar early 1970s. Willie was a fine fiddler and great company who for me was Scotland's finest male singer in both Gaelic and Lallans Scots. It's another song that Burns put to a fine fiddle tune. I've been singing the song since 1970s days with Wee Willum and on this recording I play out the tune on guitar. I've tried but I'm no fiddle player! This recording is a clip from my 2004 "Hey You" album.

The Dusty Miller

An Irish song of the beautiful "Mountains Of Mourne" in Co Down. The lyrics are a bit music hall in places but I like them and the song was always a popular one with my Irish relations in Coleraine, Co Derry. I think i first learned the song and performed it with fiddler Pete Clark for my parent's Golden wedding anniversary when some of the Irish side of the family were in attendance.

The Mountains Of Mourne

Another Irish trad song that I learned in the 1970s from my fiddler singer friend Adam Jack. My father was from Coleraine, the River Bann's inland port, and my childhood annual holidays were spent visiting my Irish grandparents there. I cherish memories of many a lazy Sunday afternoon playing in the cornfields along the Bann riverside. It's also a beautiful song that I believe to be in the Sam Henry collection , my father knew the man, and of his song collecting, from earlier days.

The Banks Of The Bann

A Trad English "Broken Token" folk song that I first heard on the first Steeleye Span LP "Hark The Village Wait". It was later recorded by Christy Moore. It's been buzzing around my head for a while but I've only been singing it for a couple of years now. This is my own arrangement.

The Dark Eyed Sailor

A cheery wee Scottish singalong song from Glasgow that I first heard on one of my many visits to Glasgow's Scotia Bar in the late 1960s. Brendan McGlaughlin was proprieter of the Scotia for many years and the song was reputedly written by his Grandfather Daniel McGlaughlin. The song is about another popular Glasgow hostelry, Quin's Bar in Springburn.

Doon In The Wee Room

I first heard this Scottish song on the Battlefield Band's first 1970s album and I've been singing it ever since.. It was co-written between Archie Fisher, Norman Buchan and Bobby Campbell for a BBC Radio programme about Glasgow Clydeside during and following the 2nd  World War. I was born into my Grandparents home in Knightswood, Glasgow in 1948, just after the war had ended, and as a child I couldn't help but notice the housing gaps where stray bombs intended for the nearby Clydeside shipyards had fallen. I believe Archie wrote most of the lyrics and fiddler Bobby Campbell the air.

The Shipyard Apprentice

A weel kent song fae Fife. The Keltie Clippie composed by the late great raconteur John Watt. Pure music hall. Keltie is a wee toon in Fife and a "clippie" a bus conductress (on board ticket seller). A great wee chorus song full of great Scottish humour.

Come Oan Get Aff

(For full Biog and music/video links go to www.allanjohnston.co.uk ) A Scottish folk singer and songwriter with 4 albums releases behind me my 2019/2020 winter was spent recording around 60 traditional folk songs that I have sung over my 50+ years in the folk scene, only a few of which I have ever recorded before. I have kept my acoustic instrumental accompaniments minimal and tasteful with various solo & duet combinations of guitar, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, octave mandolin and moothie.

Allan Johnston

Popular tracks