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To show how Celtic-Folk tunes and songs merge into other cultures in the world, this ballad, "Wraggle Taggle Gypsies" was originally created in Scotland in the time when there was a very strict ruling against "gypsies" living and working in the country. If caught they were executed on the spot. To avoid detection, they referred to themselves as a "Johnny Fey" or "Jockies." They lived "outside" of the cultures and were often confused with the "Travelers" who had a similar life style. One such Johnny Fey enticed a very young lady to abandon her station in life with her husband and her baby to live with the gypsies. The song eventually migrated into the Appalachian regions of the United States with the settlers there. "Doc Watson" was well known in folk music, and he created a version of the ballad as "Gypsy Davey." As a note, in the original ballad, when the Lord caught up with the band of gypsies, he killed them all, and instead of killing the wayward wife, he imprisoned her in a tower. A quick death would have been more merciful. The KelticDead Music Group plays this ballad with live instruments that are normally used in Celtic-Folk music sessions.

The KelticDead Music Initiative is a free, web-based, music education resource that features Celtic, Folk, Old-Time, and Seafaring tunes, songs and stories that are now found throughout the world and in every culture.
Visit the KelticDead Music website for more information and links.