The Wexford Carol or the Enniscorthy Carol is a traditional religious Irish Christmas carol originating from Enniscorthy in County Wexford. The Wexford Carol”, sometimes known by its first verse “Good people all this Christmas time”, is of uncertain origins, and, while it is occasionally claimed to be from the early Middle Ages, it likely was composed in the 15th or 16th century based on its musical and lyrical style.
The basis for Enniscorthy being the town of origin comes from the song’s original transcriber, Dr. William Grattan Flood, musical director at St. Aidan’s Cathedral in Enniscorthy from 1895 until his death in 1928. Dr. Flood apparently transcribed both the lyrics and the music from a local singer in the town, sometime in the early 20th century (quite possibly 1928, the year of his death), giving us the version we know today. However, Flood’s interpretation of the tune may not be reflective of its traditional nature, as one source claims, “his appreciation of detail was enthusiastic rather than thorough, and the content of his books were often distorted by his national and religious commitment. He had it published in The Oxford Book of Carols, putting Enniscorthy into most carol books around the world.
The lyrics describe the Nativity almost point for point, beginning with Mary and Joseph finding nowhere to stay in Bethlehem and ending with the arrival of the shepherds. The rhyme scheme of the lyrics is another argument against an early medieval origin, since apparently such a method was not used until the 15th century at the earliest, which also might explain the parallel origin of similar carols (“All You That Are to Mirth Inclined,” “Old Christmas Returned” which also seem to date from the 15th or 16th century). However, it is the tune that draws attention to it, which employs a haunting mixolydian mode form, giving it a sort of unfinished or cliff-hanging feel. Thanks to a minor seventh in an otherwise major scale.
Traditions abound concerning the song – for example, that only men should sing it. However, many popular female artists, such as Julie Andrews in 1966 and Loreena McKennitt in 1987, have recorded versions of it, the former including an additional verse beginning “And buckets yore did rain that night.” Yo Yo Ma and Alison Krauss recorded the song for Ma’s 2008 holiday album, Songs of Joy and Peace. In 2002 John Rutterr recorded his arrangement with the Cambridge Singers featuring baritone Stephen Varcoe.
