In Bill Ochs “Tin Whistle Handbook”, we are confidently told that “Whistling Billy” began knowing six tunes but worked up to a repertoire of fifty. Does anyone know what any of these tunes were?
Mr. Ochs posts here occasionally…if you do a search for his name, you can find his email address or PM him and ask.
Susan
Now why didn’t I think of that 
Update: Mr Ochs was kind enough to reply to my request. The six tunes that Whistling Billy first played were Rory O’More, The Girl I Left Behind Me, The Fishers’ Hornpipe, The Sailors’ Hornpipe, St. Patrick’s Day, and The Shells of the Ocean, described as “a new song as had just come up.” He adds that he has never come across this last one, confirming what we already knew that instant popularity is no guarantee of lasting status.