Percy Grainger's (1882-1961) love for music of the simple rural folk of the British Isles led to a series of forty-three pieces that he grouped into a series called "British Folk-Music Settings", including this title as No. 23. Grainger produced at least six versions of this folk tune arrangement of two contrasting Irish Reels ("Temple Hill" and "Molly on the Shore"), of which this version for string orchestra or string quartet, written in 1907, was the first. A string count of 8-8-5-5-5 is included in the set.