McAlpine's Fusiliers

[3] The ballad's title refers to the eponymous construction company of Sir Robert McAlpine, a major employer of Irish workmen at the time.

[4] John Laing and Wimpey (also referred to in the opening monologue; an integral part of the ballad although not included in some cover versions of the song) were other major construction companies employing Irish 'navvies' (a British term referring to building labourers and originally coined for the labourers who built the British canals or 'navigations').

[4] The colloquial and local terms in the song's monologue and lyrics include references to a 'spike' (a hostel or 'reception centre' sometimes used by Irish navvies who could not find or afford lodgings) and to 'shuttering' (a rapidly constructed wooden casing made to hold concrete while it sets).

Holyhead, also referred to in the monologue, is a port on Anglesey (Ynys Môn) in Wales where the main ferry service across the Irish Sea from Dún Laoghaire used to dock.

[6] The song has also been recorded by Paddy Reilly, The Clancy Brothers, The Capitol Showband,[7] Pecker Dunne,[8] the Young Dubliners and others.