Tomás Bán Mac Aodhagáin is the name both of a person and of a song inspired by his life. A native of County Mayo

County Mayo

County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...

, Mac Aodhagain fell in love with and eloped with a Ms. Stanley, daughter of an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 settler

Settler

A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...

. Mr. Stanley pursued the couple, captured them, and sentenced Mac Aodhagain to be hung.

O'Rourke writes that "According to folklore, Thomas did not in fact hang; the girl made the song before the sentence was due to be carried out, and the jury was so touched that he was set free. It sounds like wish fulfillment, but even if it were true, her 'provisional lament' would be no less remarkable, as a dramatic presentation of partly imagined events."

A location mentioned in the song is Cluain Aoidh, near Partry

Partry

Partry is a parish in County Mayo, Ireland. Partry is an ideal place for people with an interest in fishing to stay. It is located between Loughs Carra and Mask and is on the N84 between the towns of Castlebar and Ballinrobe....

. Another individual named in the song, Major O'Connell, was from Newport on the west coast of Mayo.