No Irish Need Apply
1863
English
Kathleen O'Neil
This song was written as a response to the widely held belief that Irish men were banned from working on the Great Exhibition of 1851. It was popular in the early halls until the 1870s. Mrs Phillips wrote the words to the Thomas Hudson/O. H. Normino song, "The Spider And The Fly".
The song was rewritten for an American audience in 1863 by Kathleen O'Neill. It was probably this version which was adopted by number of singers drawing on traditional Irish and American music including Pete Seeger. It is unclear which version came first.