Peeler and the Goat, The

DESCRIPTION: The Peelers meet a goat and plan to jail him for being on the road. The goat says that he is honorable if houseless and that the road is his home. He expects to be acquitted. He says the peelers are drunk and could be bought for more poteen.
AUTHOR: Jeremiah O'Ryan ("Darby Ryan") (Source: Zimmerman-SongsOfIrishRebellion)
EARLIEST DATE: 1913 (Padraic Colum, "Broadsheet Ballads"); c.1830 (Zimmerman-SongsOfIrishRebellion)
KEYWORDS: prison drink humorous political animal police
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (3 citations):
OLochlainn-IrishStreetBallads 74, "The Peeler and the Goat" (1 text, 1 tune)
Zimmerman-SongsOfIrishRebellion 45, "The Peeler and the Goat" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PEELERGT*
Roud #1458
RECORDINGS:
Martin Reidy, "Peeler and the Goat" (on IRClare01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(510), "The Original Peeler and the Goat," unknown, n.d.; also 2806 b.9(266), "The Peeler and the Goat"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Sow's Triumph Over the Peelers" (theme)
cf. "The Cavan Buck" (tune)
NOTES [141 words]: Sir Robert Peel established the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1812 and its success led, in 1829, to the Metropolitan Police Act for London. Originally the term "Peeler" applied to the London constabulary. (source: Sir Robert "Bobby" Peel (1788-1850) at Historic UK site.)
In this song the term is applied to the Bansha police in Bansha, County Tipperary.
Martin Reidy's tune on IRClare01 is the one used for "The Recruiting Sergeant" (on Robin Hall and Jimmy MacGregor, "Two Heids are Better than Yin!," Monitor MF 365 (1962)) - BS
Max Heiliger, who pointed out to be the 1913 Padraic Colum printing (available on Internet Archiva), also pointed to two references to a song by this title from 1884. As neither includes the lyrics, I cannot prove that they are the same song. But they probably indicate that the song was widespread in that year. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.1
File: OLOc074

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