American Toby Jug Museum 

Phil the Fluter toby jug modeled by Peter Dunn and produced by Kingston Pottery of Hull, England, circa 1980. "Phil the Fluter's Ball" is an Irish reel. Words and music of this tune were composed by the once well-known popular-song writer Percy French (1854-1920), who began songwriting when studying Engineering at Trinity College, Dublin. The song and tune became popular through French's performances in the 1880s and quickly entered British Isles folk tradition. Phil the Fluther was a real-life character who rented a small flat in Leitrim. When times were hard and he was pressed for rent he would hold a pay-at-the-door rent party to raise the needed sum; these parties became legendary and inspired the tune. The first verse and chorus go: "Have you heard of Phil the Fluther, of the town of Ballymuck? The times were going hard with him, in fact the man was broke."