"Down by Blackwaterside" (also known as "Blackwaterside", "Blackwater Side" and "Black Waterside"; see Roud 312, Laws O1 and Roud 564, Laws P18, Henry H811)[1][2] is a traditional folk song, provenance and author unknown, although it is likely to have originated near the River Blackwater, Northern Ireland. [citation needed] Peter Kennedy suggests that the lyrics originated in England, later picking up the best known tune in Ireland. Versions with a different tune have been collected in the English West Country. [3] There is a Blackwater River in South East England.[4]