New ‘Danny Boy’ revelations uncovered by family research

While 72-year-old Anthony Mann knew he was part of the songwriter Fred Weatherly’s family, he knew little about him and relatives’ lives 100 years ago when the song first appeared. After he began researching their lives, he uncovered a startling revelation hidden in archives unseen since 1936.

The English lawyer Fred Weatherly wrote the lyrics in 1910 he struggled to find the right melody for the song. Now, Mann believes the information he has uncovered shows that Weatherly’s sister-in-law finally introduced him to the tune he was looking for, but never gained the recognition she deserved and went on to die in poverty while Weatherly enjoyed fame and success.

Margaret Enright, an Irish American known as ‘Jess’, was married to Frederic’s brother Eddie and sang the traditional Londonderry Air to Weatherly while visiting his home in 1912. Weatherly shaped the lyrics to the tune and published Danny Boy soon after.

Anthony Mann said: “In this centenary year, it’s time her voice is heard.” He explains how he came upon the discovery: “I had the basic gist of the story but didn’t know anything about my great grandfather or the unnamed American sister-in-law”, he said. “So, ten years ago, I began to research their lives and visited Colorado where Fred’s brother Eddie had emigrated to make his fortune as a silver miner. He married an Irish American Margaret Enright known to all as Jess.

“While there I was told that there may be some boxes of Weatherly papers lodged in the archives of the University at Boulder. I uncovered in these boxes, archived in 1936 and unexamined since, contemporaneous information about Fred, his family and about the struggles in the Depression of those in the family who had emigrated to the USA.

“The most fascinating discovery was how Jess conveyed the melody to Fred. It was part of a repertoire of Irish airs she had learnt from her father an émigré from Co Kerry. She sang it to him on a visit to his house in 1912.

“After reading this it’s apparent to me that Fred should have acknowledged Jess’s contribution, even though the words were not hers, something he never did.”