The song is sung from the point of view of a young man who chances to meet a charming lady by the name of Rose (or Rosie) McCann, referred to as the "star of the County Down". From a brief encounter the writer's infatuation grows until, by the end of the ballad, he imagines wedding the girl.
The arrangement is by Gordon K. Spiers. Gordon K. Speirs (19?? - 1994) grew up in a London orphanage; his parents were killed in WWII. He was Pipe Major of The Blue Bonnets (City of London) Pipe Band in the 1960s and early 1970s. He later moved to Milwaukee and joined The Billy Mitchell Scottish and became its primary instructor and PM. He is reputed to have successfully played pipes and danced at the same time. Gordon moved to Kansas City in 1977 but returned to Milwaukee around 1980 where he formed the Milwaukee & District Scottish Pipe Band in 1982 with his wife Catriona Hill (daughter of Bob Hill, PM Scots Guards) along with some members of The Billy Mitchell Scottish. Milwaukee & District competed in Grade IV, and in 1984, Grade III; which was the peak of this band's short life. Around 1985 Gordon and his wife divorced, and Gordon moved to the Denver area and later married Shelley, a piper. He died in 1994.