“Whiskey in the Jar,” a song about a notorious Irish highwayman Patrick Fleming who was hanged in 1650 “Whiskey in the Jar” became a hit for Irish performers like The Dubliners and Thin Lizzy. Fleming was no hero. He murdered, robbed, and maimed rich and poor alike, including women and children before being hunted down. He made a legendary escape from his death cell by scrambling up a chimney but was eventually recaptured. In death, he acquired a heroic air and many poems were written about him.