Glen Orchy is a long glen in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland, through which runs the River Orchy. Braes is the Scots term for a slope or bank, as in banks of the river. The tune appears first in print in Alexander Mackay's 1805 collection. It is an early setting of the jig better known as "Jolly Corkonian (The)" or "Hills of Glenorchy”. Glen Orchy was known by the by-name of Gleann Urchaidh nam badan (Glen Orchy of the copses).

Glen Orchy was one of the major homes of Clan Gregor until the clan was outlawed in 1603 by King James VI. One of the better known inhabitants of the glen was Duncan Ban MacIntyre. Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saoir, anglicized as Duncan Ban MacIntyre (March 20, 1724 – May 14, 1812), was one of the most renowned of Scottish Gaelic poets. He formed an integral part of one of the golden ages of Gaelic poetry in Scotland during the 18th century.