The fame of the composition and the occasion which gave birth to it reaching the ear of King James the Sixth, induced him to send for the composer.
When asked by one of the courtiers if he realized the honour thus conferred on him, to their consternation Rory replied: 'A greater than King James has laid his hand on my shoulder'.
In the late 20th century, the piece was wedded to Raggle Taggle Gypsy in a version by Planxty and has since enjoyed a huge resurgence.
Seabhac Bheal Atha Seanaigh/The Hawk of Ballyshannon, celebrating the wedding of Charles O'Donnell, son of Manus of Rosturk Mulranny, County Mayo, to a Miss More, composed to a tune by Ruairí Dall Ó Catháin is printed in Bunting (1840, p. 13).
[3] Robert Burns’ poem “Ae Fond Kiss” was first published using a tune entitled “Rory Dall’s Port”.
It could also have been written by Ruairidh Morison ‘An Clàrsair Dall’ (‘The Blind Harper’), or James Oswald, who first published the tune in Volume 8 of “The Caledonian Pocket Companion.” [4] O'Neill reports that he died in Scotland: "It is a curious coincidence that after spending many years with McLeod, of Dunvegan, in the Isle of Skye, O'Cahan should die at Eglinton Castle about the year 1653.
In some inaccountable way during his long sojourn in Scotland he became known as Rory Dall Morrison, and this has so clouded his origin and identity as to involve his very nationality in question."
In 2017, the Scottish researcher Keith Sanger explained at length his reasons for believing that Ruairí Dall Ó Catháin never existed and was instead made up by Arthur O'Neill.