This tune is also known as The Jolly Beggarman, Little Beggarman, An Giolla Ruadh, and by many other names. It was first published in the mid 19th century and is generally thought to commemorate a real-life rogue and bandit. It appears in a story about uilleann piper Donnchadh Ó Sé from Lóthar, who once heard a different tune being played by faeries at Faill an Mhada Rua. He learned the faerie's tune and found that each time he played it he would become ill for three months. Some time later, a rogue demanded him at gun point to play the faerie tune, but he got away with playing Red Haired Boy instead. It is widely known, has been picked up by the American old time and bluegrass communities, and is often played somewhat like a hornpipe.
This tune is Irish in style but may have originated in the US before its spread through much of the traditional music world. It is also known as a hornpipe named Katherine Brennan's Favorite, which came from Irish-American fiddler Andy McGann, who learned it from his fiddle teacher Katherine Brennan.
This tune is played as a reel for American contra dances, but was originally a hornpipe with the A and B parts reversed from the order found here. It is related to a tune named The Cuckoo's Nest. Jacky Tar is an English term originally used for seamen of the Merchant or Royal Navy. It was not pejorative and sailors used the term themselves.