Notable Performances and Recordings
- The song's popularity was substantially enhanced in the early 20th century by performances and recordings by John McCormack (1884–1945) a world-famous Irish tenor in the fields of opera and popular music – who performed successfully in many major live venues in the United States and Europe. McCormack was occasionally referred to as the "Minstrel Boy," (or alternately the Irish Minstrel) and this title has been applied to collections of his recordings.
- It has also been widely recorded by many non-Irish performers, ranging from Paul Robeson to The Holy Modal Rounders.
- It features heavily in the soundtrack of the film The Man Who Would Be King a 1975 film adapted from the Rudyard Kipling short story of the same title with masonic themes but the lyrics are those of Reginald Heber's "The Son of God Goes Forth to War" from the Lutheran Songbook ..
- The song is heard during the end credits of the film Black Hawk Down, performed by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros. An 18 minute version of the song is featured as the final track on their album Global a Go-Go.
- Elements of the song are used in the final verse of Pretty Girl Why by the Buffalo Springfield on their final album Last Time Around.
- The song is performed by the Canadian band Enter the Haggis on their 2004 album, Casualties of Retail.
- The song is performed by The Clancy Brothers (sung by Liam Clancy) on their 1959 album, The Rising of the Moon.
- The song is covered by Shane MacGowan & The Popes on their album The Rare Oul' Stuff.
- An instrumental version of the song was recorded by The Corrs on their album Forgiven, Not Forgotten.
- Parts of the chorus are used in various songs, such as John McCutcheon's "Christmas in the Trenches" and in the World War I song, I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier.
- A short but very lushly orchestrated version (the first four bars) was used by Wally Stott (Angela Morley) in several of the link scores for The Goon Show
- A solo guitar arrangement of the tune, paired with The Ash Grove was recorded by Norman Blake on Whiskey Before Breakfast (1976).
- The tune is used in the Black 47 song "Downtown Baghdad Blues" on their album Elvis Murphy's Green Suede Shoes.
- The first verse is heard played by a solo trumpet as the opening to the track The Lion's Roar on the Trans-Siberian Orchestra album Night Castle.
- The song was played at the grand opening of the World Trade Center Memorial on September 11, 2011; the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Read more about this topic: The Minstrel Boy
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