Written by the Irish poet W B Yeats in the 1880s, this famous poem was based upon an old song which he had heard sung, but could barely remember. "Salley" or "sally" is a form of "sallow," which is the willow tree. The tune is called The Moorlough Shore, and was paired with Yeats's poem by Herbert Hughes in 1909.

This song is part of my Irish Collection; check out other tunes and songs from the Irish Collection Index.