Also known as Old Maid In A Garret.
There are 4 recordings of this tune.
The Old Maid In The Garret has been added to 5 tunebooks.
Ceili band standard. This version transcribed from the playing of the Brian Boru Ceili Band.
This is a comic song from a woman’s point of view, concerned that she does not have a husband: “Oh dear me, what will I do if I die an old maid in a garret?” Originally Irish, I believe, it entered Scotland through cities with sizable Irish populations like Glasgow and Dundee.
Certainly used to be sung by the late, great Belle Stewart from Blairgowrie, who mischievously would sometimes replace the word “parrot”, with “carrot”. If you don’t know the song, look it up.
Connecting here to 2 ceili band recordings, but seem to remember Johnny Moynihan recorded it with “Sweeney’s Men”, would have been around the late 1960s.
‘Garrett’ is a misprint which has been unfortunately repeated on several releases.
I can find no evidence that this is a ‘céilí band standard’.
