"The Irish Washerwoman" is a traditional

jig The jig ( ga, port, gd, port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It is most associated with Irish music and dance. It first gained popularity in 16th-century Ireland and parts o ...

known to have been played throughout Britain and Ireland and in North America. Although usually considered an Irish tune, some scholars claim that it is English in origin, derived from the seventeenth-century tune "Dargason". This jig was incorporated as the first movement of the ''Irish Suite'', a collection of traditional tunes arranged for orchestra by American composer

Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson ( ) (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as ...

in 1946. Over the years many songs have used ''The Irish Washerwoman'' tune. One of the most popularly known lyrics sung to the tune is ''McTavish Is Dead''.

In popular culture

The song has been used in many movies, such as ''

Christmas in Connecticut ''Christmas in Connecticut'' is a 1945 American Christmas romantic comedy film about an unmarried city magazine writer who pretends to be a farm wife and mother and then falls in love with a returning war hero. The film was directed by English d ...

'' and '' Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World''. In the '' Little House on the Prairie'' book series, Pa Ingalls plays the song on his fiddle. The Dutch group

The Jumping Jewels John van Leeuwarden (4 July 1941 – 31 January 2019), who recorded under the name Johnny Lion, was a Dutch singer, journalist and actor. His best known song as a solo artist was his hit single "Sophietje". He also recorded with The Jumping Jew ...

recorded a version which reached No. 9 on the

Dutch Charts Dutch Charts, GfK Dutch Charts, MegaCharts is a chart company responsible for producing a number of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Single Top 100 and the Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Dutch Charts are also part of GfK ...

References

External links

A clip
of

John Sheahan John Sheahan (born 19 May 1939) is an Irish musician and composer. He joined The Dubliners in 1964 and played with them until 2012 when The Dubliners' name was retired following the death of founding member Barney McKenna. Early years and m ...

and

André Rieu André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (; is a Dutch violinist and conductor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Rieu and his orchestra have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act. He r ...

playing the jig on violins
A site with lyricsSheet music on thesession.org
– intermediate level 4, with sound recording.
The Old Irish Washerwoman Feature film.Irish Washerwoman
as collected from Stephen Baldwin, Gloucestershire fiddler, with sound recording. *

Louis-Antoine Jullien Louis George Maurice Adolphe Roche Albert Abel Antonio Alexandre Noë Jean Lucien Daniel Eugène Joseph-le-brun Joseph-Barême Thomas Thomas Thomas-Thomas Pierre Arbon Pierre-Maurel Barthélemi Artus Alphonse Bertrand Dieudonné Emanuel Josué V ...

used the tune in hi
"The Royal Irish Quadrilles"
Irish songs Songs about Ireland Year of song unknown {{Folk-dance-stub