The Wexford Carol or the Enniscorthy Carol is a traditional Irish Christmas carol originating from Enniscorthy in County Wexford. The subject of the song is the nativity of Jesus Christ.
The Wexford Carol or as it’s sometimes known - Good people all this Christmas time, is of uncertain origins, and, while it is occasionally claimed to be from the early Middle Ages, it likely was composed in the 15th or 16th century based on its musical and lyrical style. The song achieved a renewed popularity due to the work of William Grattan Flood (1859–1928), who was organist and musical director at St. Aidan's Cathedral in Enniscorthy. He transcribed the carol from the performance of a local singer and had it published in The Oxford Book of Carols, after which it was included in other carol books as well.
Traditions abound concerning the song – for example, that only men should sing it. However, many popular female artists, such as Julie Andrews in 1966 and Loreena McKennitt in 1987, have recorded versions of it, the former including an additional verse beginning And buckets yore did rain that night. Nanci Griffiths recorded the song for The Chieftains' 1989 album A Chieftains Celebration. The Irish Tenors performed their version as the third track on their 1999 Christmas album Home For Christmas. In 2002 John Rutter recorded his arrangement with the Cambridge Singers featuring baritone Stephen Varcoe. Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss recorded the song for Ma's 2008 holiday album, Songs of Joy & Peace. Anthony Kearns (The Irish Tenors) performs it annually and has featured on TV across the USA at Christmas. Michael McDonald covered it on his 2009 album This Christmas as a duet with his wife Amy Holland, using only the first three of the traditional verses and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed an arrangement by conductor Mack Wilberg on its 2016 album Hallelujah !
Jock McKenzie studied trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester where he was a joint recipient of the college’s concerto prize. From 1987 Jock based his musical career in Hampshire, working as a freelance trumpeter, conductor, composer, arranger and brass teacher. Jock is a former Professional Leader (Brass) for Hampshire Music Service and was the Director of the Hampshire County Youth Band from 2004 until 2020. It is the mix of all of these musical roles that has led to Jock establishing a reputation as a leading creator of brass music resources, particularly in the field of education and brass ensemble music. In 2020 Jock was awarded an “Honorary Fellowship of the University of Winchester” for services to music education. Currently Jock is working part-time for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; providing tuition for their Brass Teaching Module. In 2024 Jock was given the award for “Services to Youth” by Brass Bands England.
