The musical theme entitled: The Irish Washerwomen, is of Celtic origin and belongs to the melodies that are danced in riverdance rhythm. Antonis Tzelepis first heard it at the famous Celtic Music Festival in Lorient, Brittany and was impressed by the dancing figures of the Irish who participated there. Here he interprets it himself using the Irish Flute, flute and strings. The music is very popular in all the British Isles but also in South America. The chorus is repeated several times and sometimes the speed of the song increases, until it becomes very loud and suddenly stops abruptly. There are words, but they prefer to play the song performing it purely orchestrally. It was first played by the Boston Pops Orchestra, known American composer Leroy Anderson, in 1947 and has been performed repeatedly by the well-known Dutch conductor and composer Andre Rieu and his orchestra. We also mention the words of the song, whenever they sing it:

T h e I r i s h W a s h e r w o m e n

When I was at home I was merry and frisky,
My dad kept a pig and my mother sold whiskey,
My uncle was rich, but never would by aisey
Till I was enlisted by Corporal Casey.
Och! rub a dub, row de dow, Corporal Casey,
My dear little Shelah, I thought would run crazy,
When I trudged away with tough Corporal Casey . . .

I marched from Kilkenny, and, as I was thinking
On Shelah, my heart in my bosom was sinking,
But soon I was forced to look fresh as a daisy,
For fear of a drubbing from Corporal Casey.
Och! rub a dub, row de dow, Corporal Casey!
The devil go with him, I ne'er could be lazy,
He struck my shirts so, ould Corporal Casey . . .

We went into battle, I took the blows fairly
That fell on my pate, but they bothered me rarely,
And who should be the first that dropped, why, and please ye,
It was my good friend, honest Corporal Casey.
Och! rub a dub, row de dow, Corporal Casey!
Thinks I you are quiet, and I shall be aisey,
So eight years I fought without Corporal Casey . . .

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