File:Raggle Taggle Gypsy - Balver Höhle Irish Folk Festival.webm

The Balve Cave is the biggest cultural cave in Europe. It is located in Balve, Germany. And every year the Festspiele Balver Höhle organization is presenting the Balver Höhle Irish folk & Celtic Music Festival.

"The Raggle Taggle Gypsy" is a traditional folk song that originated as a Scottish border ballad, and has been popular throughout Britain, Ireland and North America. It concerns a rich lady who runs off to join the gypsies (or one gypsy). Common alternative names are "The Raggle Taggle Gypsies O", "The Gypsy Laddie(s)", "Black Jack David" (or "Davy") and "Seven Yellow Gypsies".

The earliest text may be "The Gypsy Loddy", published in the Roxburghe Ballads with an assigned date of 1720. A more certain date is 1740, the publication of Allan Ramsay's Tea-Table Miscellany, which included the ballad as of "The Gypsy Johnny Faa". Differences between the two texts suggest that they derive from one or more earlier versions. They were followed by several printings, often copying Ramsay. It was then printed by most of the nineteenth century broadside printers.

The musicians of Rapalje with their wild hair and medieval kilts create a flaming energy with their enthusiasm and motivation. With sensitive ballads, fiery songs and vivacious Celtic melodies Rapalje electrifies their audience. A concert of Rapalje is like a journey through time with recognizable licentiousness and a rough way of life.