"Whiskey in the Jar" (Roud 533) is an Irish traditional song set in the southern mountains of Ireland, often with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry.
The song, about a rapparee (highwayman) who is betrayed by his wife or lover, is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs and has been recorded by numerous artists since the 1950s.
The song first gained wide exposure when Irish folk band the Dubliners performed it internationally as a signature song, and recorded it on three albums in the 1960s.
In the U.S., the song was popularised by the Highwaymen, who recorded it on their 1962 album Encore.
Irish rock band Thin Lizzy hit the Irish and British pop charts with the song in 1973.
"Whiskey in the Jar" is the tale of a highwayman or footpad who, after robbing a military or government official, is betrayed by a woman; whether she is his wife or sweetheart is not made clear. Various versions of the song take place in Kerry, Kilmoganny, Cork, Sligo Town, and other locations throughout Ireland.
It is also sometimes placed in the American South, in various places among the Ozarks or Appalachians, possibly due to Irish settlement in these places. Names in the song change, and the official can be a Captain or a Colonel, called Farrell or Pepper among other names.
The protagonist's wife or lover is sometimes called Molly, Jenny, Emzy, or Ginny among various other names. The details of the betrayal are also different, being either betraying him to the person he robbed and replacing his ammunition with sand or water, or not, resulting in his killing the person
A - Whisky In The Jar (5:37)
Written-By – Brian Downey
Companies, etc.
- Record Company – The Decca Record Company Limited
- Published By – Luddington House Music
- Mastered At – Decca Studios
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – The Decca Record Company Limited
Credits
- Mastered By – C
- Producer – Nick Tauber
Notes
Released: 1976
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Genre: Hard rock
Label: Decca Records
