Book excerpt: Contains all of Petrie's original text, including song texts in Irish and English; the melodies; and his introduction. The text is prefaced with a biographical essay, which positions the collection in the context of Petrie's life and work, and within the broader field of Irish traditional music. The piano accompaniments written by Petrie's daughter, which were included in the original collection have been removed; instead melodies have been restored back to the form in which Petrie originally notated them.