Jean Glover and Letterkenny

Conal Gillespie, Donegal

It aye struck me as gey funny that the mair monie fowk is interested in the poems an sangs o’ Rabbie Burns, onie a wee wheen o’ oor Ulster Burnsmen, an weemin forebye, knaw aboot Jean Glover. In seventeen an ninetythree Burns writ doon the wards uv twa sangs, “Act Sederant of the Session” an “O’er the Moor amang the Heather” frae Jean Glover wha Burns cried “a whore from Kilmarnock … stealing through the country with a slight of hand blackguard” (frae a note in Burns’s ain copie o The Scots Musical Museum). In Burns’s Remarks on Scottish Songs Burns writ that Jean Glover “was not only a whore but also a thief; and in one or other character has visited most of the correction houses in the west. She was born I believe in Kilmarnock — I took the song down from her singing…” (gien a mention i’ the Works of Robert Burns ed. Allan Cunningham, Edinburgh 1870).

In nineteen an ninetysax Billy Kay wha writ Scots — The Mither Tongue came ower till Belfawst tae spake. He made mention uv Jean Glover and reckoned that she crossed the sheugh tae Ulster. This wheen o wittens aboot Jeanie Glover set me delvin fur mair newis tae dae wi Burns’s informant efter she come tae Ulster. Frae the buek Ballads and Songs of Ayrshire (nae date), i’ the Dick Institute ben Kilmarnock I jaloused that Jeanie Glover dee’d i’ the loon uv Letterkenny fernenst the Laggan in aist Donegal. Frae the buek I foun oot that Jeanie Glover wuz boarn i’ the Toonheid uv Kilmarnock in seiventaen an fiftie echt. She wuz guid luckin an a gey guid singer. Jeanie wus fand av the roamin players wha betimes cam tae the toon an tuk up wi yin uv a company cried Richard, the “slight of hand blackguard” wha Burns writ aboot. She striddlet aboot the wast uv Scotlan an sung at fairs fur a wheen o yeirs. Yin mon wha see’d her in Scotlan went on fur a sodger an wuz sent ayont tae Airlan tae the berrick i’ Letterkenny. He see’d Jeanie liltin i’ tha toon. Seein as how he knowed her he put spake on Jeanie an foun her “in good health, gay and sprightly as when in her native country”. This wus the yeir echteenhunner an wan. This mon stayet i’ Letterkenny fur twa montht. Afore he quat the toon Jeanie Glover “was mouldering in silent dust”. She maun a dee’d sudden i’ or aboot Letterkenny an been buriet i’ yin av the burin gruns there aboot.

It’s no small consait tae me tha the Laggan, which wuz hame til a braw clatter uv oor Ulster Scotch rhymers, is connectit wi a wummin wha gied sangs til Burns.