Tomás Rua Ó Súilleabháin (1785–1848) was a Kerry schoolmaster. He was required to relocate from Caherdaniel to Portmagee and, although he travelled by road, he sent his treasured collection of old books by boat. The boat sank, and the books were lost.

Tomás composed this ‘song of the books’ as a lament for his lost collection, although it is most often played these days as a slow air, as we do.