Annotation:Valentine O’Hara

Back to Valentine O’Hara

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VALENTINE O'HARA. AKA - "Tyne of Harrow." Irish, Air (4/4 time). A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Valentine O’Hara was known as ‘The Flying Irish Highwayman,’ at least in song (there is scant historical record about him). "There was a song to this air telling about—

A bold young man named Valentine O'Hara,
Whose friends resided nigh the hill of Tara..

'He enlisted', as Mr. M'Kenzie goes on to say, 'but being treated badly, deserted and took to the road. He made a great sum of money, but lost it all in a sudden death at Tyburn.' I suppose the hero of this song is the same as 'Bold Val O'Hara', who has given his name to another air which will be found farther on" (Joyce).

Another version [1] starts:

I am a daring highwayman. They call me Valentine O'Hara.
I came of honest decent friends nigh to the Hills of Tara.
For seducing of a pretty maid, to England I sailed over,
Leaving my parents almost wild since I became a rover

English versions of the song are called “Allan Tyne of Harrow.”

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Song), 1909; No. 318, pp. 148 149.

Recorded sources:

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