First published in 1855, George Petrie's "The Petrie Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland" is widely regarded as one of the most important nineteenth-century collections of traditional Irish music. It contains nearly two hundred melodies collected by Petrie as well as song texts in Irish and English and detailed notes by Petrie about their sources. This new edition contains all of Petrie's original text, the melodies and his introduction. The text is prefaced with an illuminating biographical essay, which positions the collection in the context of Petrie's life and work, and within the broader field of Irish traditional music. Cooper's new edition also contains a completely reset version of the text in which the Irish spelling has been modernised and a standard font adopted. The new edition of this book will form an invaluable addition to the bookshelves of both students and performers of Irish traditional music.