Annotation:Her Mantle so Green

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 HER MANTLE SO GREEN. AKA and see "George Reilly," "Plains of Waterloo (2) (The)]," "Young Willie of Famed Waterloo." Irish, Slow Air. This melody is published in Colm O'Lochlainn's Irish Street Ballads (No. 7), and was taken from early twentieth century broadsides. The ballad tells of a young woman visited in the meadows by a young man; he tests her to see if her love is true; she passes, having remained faithful to her William Reilly, whom she believed killed at the battle of Waterloo. He reveals himself and they are wed. A similar situation occurs in Homer's Odyssey, when Ulysses returns home after his voyages of twenty years. The melody also belongs to the 18th century song "George Reilly." When I was a-roving one morning in spring, To view the sweet flowers and the meadows so queen, I met a young damsel, she appeared like a queen With her costly fine robes and her mantle so green.  Source for notated version:  Printed sources:  Recorded sources: Cló Iar-Chonnachta CICD 167, Peter Horan & Gerry Harrington - "The Merry Love to Play" (2007. Learned from the playing of Cork accordion player Jackie Daly and Séamus Creagh). Green Linnet GLCD 1151, Seamus McGuire - "The Wishing Tree" (1995).

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