I first heard or perhaps it is better to say, saw
I'll tell me ma in the playgrounds of my primary school,
St. Stephen's Junior School, Worcester, where it was used by the girls as a skipping song. Being the little idiot macho twit that I was (did I hear anybody say still am? Quiet at the back, there!!) it was absolutely of no interest to me. Boys just didn't skip and sing skipping songs.
The Clancy Brothers showed me the error of my ways when I heard it on their LP
"In Person at Carnegie Hall"
together with
The Irish Soldiers,
A Man of double deed,
When I was young and
The Wren Song.
The version I sing however can be found in good old Soodlum's
100 Irish Ballads Volume 1