"The Croppy Boy" is an Irish

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

set in

1798 rising The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influenced ...

relating to the despair of a doomed young "

croppy Croppy was a nickname given to United Irishmen rebels during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 against British rule in Ireland. History The nickname "Croppy" was used in 18th-century Ireland in reference to the cropped hair worn by Irish national ...

" or rebel.

Broadside versions

Versions of the ballad first appeared shortly after the rising sung by street

pedlars A peddler, in British English pedlar, also known as a chapman, packman, cheapjack, hawker, higler, huckster, (coster)monger, colporteur or solicitor, is a door-to-door and/or travelling vendor of good (economics), goods. In England, the term ...

and there are several

broadside Broadside or broadsides may refer to: Naval * Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare Printing and literature * Broadside (comic ...

songs printed. These typically include the phrase "500 Guineas" or "one thousand pounds", and are also sung to the tune of the old

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

air

Cailín Óg a Stór Cailín Óg a Stór (Irish for "O Darling Young Girl") is a traditional Irish melody, originally accepted for publication in March 1582. It may be the source of Pistol's cryptic line in Henry V, '' Caleno custure me''. It is part of a broadside ...

. They may be the basis for the later ballad, ''

Lady Franklin's Lament "Lady Franklin's Lament" (also known as "Lord Franklin" and "The Sailor's Dream") is a traditional folk ballad indexed by George Malcolm Laws (Laws K09) and Steve Roud (Roud 487). The song recounts the story of a sailor who dreams about Lady Frank ...

''.

Malone version

A version by Carroll Malone first appeared in the Irish newspaper ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

'' in 1845 and concerns a fictional young man who stops in a church on his way to fight. He sees a cloaked figure in a confessional and kneels for the penitential rite. The figure is actually a British officer who sought refuge from the rebels by hiding in the confessional. After the youth completes his confession, the officer reveals himself and proceeds to arrest the youth. The legend is the subject of Canadian artist

Charlotte Schreiber Charlotte Mount Brock Schreiber (21 May 1834 – 3 July 1922) was an English-Canadian painter and illustrator, among the first of Canada's notable female painters.

's painting ''The Croppy Boy (The Confession of an Irish Patriot)'', now on display in the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

References

Music in James Joyce's works

Croppy Boy (Version II) by Carroll Malone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croppy Boy Irish Rebellion of 1798 Irish songs Ballads Ballads of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown