The Bard of Armagh

"The Bard of Armagh" is an Irish ballad. It is often attributed to Patrick Donnelly. He was made Bishop of Dromore in 1697, the same year as the enactment of the Bishops Banishment Act. Donnelly is believed to have taken the name of the travelling harper Phelim Brady.

The song itself, like many heroic, rebel outlaw ballads, dates from the mid 19th century, when it was printed as a broadside ballad in Dublin. The same melody is used in the songs "Príosún Chluain Meala" - (The Jail of Clonmel), "The Sailor Cut Down in his Prime" and "The Streets of Laredo".