Captain Francis O'Neill wrote and named this tune in honor of his wife's sister Julia, who was married to uilleann piper Bernard Delaney. Julia was from Feakle in County Clare, Ireland but the tune was composed in Chicago. Although the author is known, the tune has been so much changed since the original, which was in a major key, to the point that this version might be considered a different tune.
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.