Also known as “The Belle of Belfast City,” this lively, upbeat tune began as a skipping and playground rhyme for young girls in Ireland’s urban neighborhoods. The song’s call-and-response structure made it perfect for group singing while playing games, with variations of the lyrics appearing across Ireland’s different regions and later spreading to Scottish, English, and North American communities through migration. The chorus famously references “the belle of Belfast city” (though regional variations substitute different locations), while the verses playfully discuss courtship and matchmaking.

During the folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s, the song transitioned from children’s rhyme to popular folk standard, with influential recordings by The Clancy Brothers, Tommy Makem, and later by Van Morrison and The Chieftains helping to introduce it to international audiences.