F. E. (Frederic Edward) Weatherly

Born in 1848, Frederic Edward Weatherly was an English lawyer, author, and lyricist whose writing reached a huge popular audience. He studied at Oxford and later balanced a legal career with an extraordinary output as a songwriter, eventually being credited with thousands of lyrics.

Weatherly had a gift for memorable, singable words, and many of his songs became favorites in parlors and concert halls. He is especially associated with "Danny Boy," for which he wrote the lyric that was later matched to the tune often known as the "Londonderry Air."

He died in 1929, but his songs continued to circulate widely through recordings, recitals, and community singing. That staying power says a lot about his style: direct, emotional, and easy to remember.