I first heard this at the Alaska Folk Festival in 1989 (the year of the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster). Rex Blazer and the Fairbanks band, Around the House, played it. I enjoy playing it on hammer dulcimer. Thank you for some interesting variations.
A great tune - but not "very old" - at least I hope not because it's younger than me! It's by the Irish/Scottish singer Davey Arthur - best known for his collaboration with the Furey Brothers. They were based in my home town of Edinburgh in Scotland and the first trad band I ever saw, back in the '70s.