Not really a folk song, "Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill" was first published in 1888 and attributed to Thomas Casey (words) and much later Charles Connolly (music). It sounds like a work song and makes references to the construction of the railroads in the mid-19th century. The "tarriers" of the title refers to Irish workers, drilling holes in rock to blast out railroad tunnels. It may mean either to tarry as in delay, or to terrier dogs which dig their quarry out of the ground, or from the French word for auger, "tarière". The song was probably written for the vaudeville stage where the Irish were considered comic characters in the 19th century. The song has been recorded by The Weavers, The Clancy Brothers, The Tarriers and many others.