John Drury by Turlough O'Carolan

 

This tune was written in 1724 to celebrate the marriage of John Drury and Elizabeth Goldsmith. John Drury was the elder son of Lieutenant Edward Drury of Kingsland, at Lough Gara, near Boyle, County Roscommon. The Drurys were an influencial family who traced their ancestry back to Sir William Drury, Lord Deputy of Ireland during Queen Elizabeth's reign. The Goldsmiths were "a rather humble family" (Drury quoted) and the lyrics include praise for those who marry for love rather than money. Unfortunately John Drury died about a year after his marriage. He left one daughter who inherited the Drury property and passed it to her husband. Research shows that the Drury family fortune thereafter dissipated.