Also referred to as “The Rakes of Clonmel,” this tune’s title alludes to the term “rakes,” nowadays understood as “dissolute individuals.” The word itself is abbreviated from “rakehell,” which derives from the Old Icelandic “reikall,” meaning “wandering” or “unsettled.” Clonmel, an administrative center in southern County Tipperary, sits along the River Suir in the valley of Sliabh na mBan, encircled by the Comeragh and Knockmealdown Mountains.