Oh Danny Boy: A Londonderry Air - National Anthem of Northern Ireland

"Oh Danny Boy" is a well-known Irish folk song whose lyrics were written in 1910. The melody used by the song is "A Londonderry Air" and this traditional folk song is much older, dating back to at least the 19th century and possibly earlier. "A Londonderry Air" is named after the County in Northern Ireland called "Londonderry". Since Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom God Save the Queen is the National Anthem representing the country as a whole, but at events where Northern Ireland is represented separately from the rest of the United Kingdom "Oh Danny Boy" is used as its Anthem. This melody is also the basis for the song "You Raise Me Up" (written by Norwegian composer Rolf Løvland of the celtic group "Secret Garden") which has been sung by many artists including Josh Groban and Westlife. Classical composers have also shown interest in the melody, such as an arrangement by Percy Grainger called the "Irish Tune from County Derry".

The following arrangement of "A Londonderry Air" or "Oh Danny Boy" by Jim Paterson is for solo piano, but it can also be used to accompany singers and instrumentalists. More National Anthems and Folk Songs can be found in our articles National Anthems & Patriotic Songs and Folk Music & Songs.