Frederick Edward Weatherly(1848-1929)

Lawyer, author, songwriter, and radio entertainer Frederick Edward Weatherly was born in 1848 in Somerset, England. Frederick attended Hereford Cathedral School. Weatherly graduated from Oxford University with a degree in classics and studied at Brasenose College. Following college Frederick practiced law and was appointed a King's Counsel. Weatherly originally wrote the haunting and poignant ballad "Danny Boy" in 1910. In 1912 his sister-in-law Margaret in America sent him the Irish tune "Londonderry Air;" Frederick slightly rewrote "Danny Boy" to fit the melody of "Londonderry Air" and published the revised version of the song in 1913. "Danny Boy" has since gone on to become a highly regarded and often covered classic. An extremely prolific songwriter, Weatherly penned more than 1,500 songs which include the religious hymn "The Holy City" and the popular World War I ballad "Roses of Picardy" (Weatherly wrote this latter tune while he was an army officer in 1916). Moreover, Frederick also wrote adult fantasy and science fiction books, penned more than fifty children's books, and wrote the English lyrics for the opera "Mirette" by Andre Messager. His book of verse "A Happy Pair" featured the first signed published illustrations by Beatrix Potter. Frederick Edward Weatherly died in 1929.