The Last Rose of Summer

sung by Adelina Patti in 1906

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"The Last Rose of Summer" is a poem by the Irish poet Thomas Moore. He wrote it in 1805, while staying at Jenkinstown Castle in County Kilkenny, Ireland, where he was said to have been inspired by a specimen of Rosa 'Old Blush'.^[1]

The poem is set to a traditional tune called "Aisling an Óigfhear", or "The Young Man's Dream",^[2] which was transcribed by Edward Bunting in 1792, based on a performance by harper Denis Hempson (Donnchadh Ó hAmhsaigh) at the Belfast Harp Festival.^[3] The poem and the tune together were published in December 1813 in volume 5 of Thomas Moore's A Selection of Irish Melodies. The original piano accompaniment was written by John Andrew Stevenson, several other arrangements followed in the 19th and 20th centuries. The poem is now probably at least as well known in its song form as in the original.

^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Corp, Hal Leonard (2011). Ireland: The Songs – Book Four. Waltons Irish Music. ISBN 978-1-85720-062-1.
^ Edward Bunting, A General Collection of the Ancient Irish Music (1796)

[1] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[Corp_2011_p.-2] Corp, Hal Leonard (2011). Ireland: The Songs – Book Four. Waltons Irish Music. ISBN 978-1-85720-062-1.

[3] Edward Bunting, A General Collection of the Ancient Irish Music (1796)

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