Monthly Archives: May 2014
King Of The Fairies (Edor)
“King Of The Fairies” is a very enchanting hornpipe, entitled Ri Na Sidheog in Irish. It is played at some sessions, but sadly it’s not as popular as some others we’ve covered. This might be because of fear. It’s told that if you play this tune three times through at the right tempo and with […]
Tabhair Dom Do Lamh (G)
The tune “Tabhair Dom Do Lamh” is often played at Irish weddings — the Irish title is pronounced “Tour Dum Dah Lahw (or Lahv)” in Irish, and most often translated as “Please, Give Me Your Hand.” The tune is by the Irish harpist (and pipe player) Ruairi Dall Ă“ Cathain (c.1570-c.1653), whose name is variously […]
Foxhunter’s Jig (D)
“Foxhunter’s Jig” is a slip jig. The title of this four-part slip jig concerns, of course, an over-hill-and-dale foxhunt. Thus, a few desultory comments are in order. The earliest known notation of this tune is c. 1847, where it is entitled “Dublin Gigg-a-Jigg” (in A) – both are old spellings of “jig,” and“gigg-a-jigg” is the hoary […]
My Darling Asleep (D)
The jig entitled “My Darling Asleep” is #925 in O’Neill’s 1850 (1903). The piper and pipe maker Leo Rowsome (1903-1970) used to recount a story in which Chief O’Neill (1848-1936) got this tune from Abram Sweetman Beamish of co. Cork, who called it “My Darling in Bed.” O’Neill thought that that title was just too suggestive, […]
Banish Misfortune (Dmix)
Brendan Breathnach (1912–1985), the piper, avid tune collector, and lecturer, has reported that the jig “Banish Misfortune” was first published in P.W. Joyce’s Ancient Irish Music  (1873) under the title “The Bag of Meal,” which would have banished some misfortune for many just a few decades earlier. In fact, the title seems to indicate that […]
Willie McGee’s (A)
The tune here called “Willie McGee’s” is named after a St. Louis baseball player.
Miller’s Maggot (G)
The single jig “Miller’s Maggot” shows up in some tune collections as a slide – some tune collections don’t even have a separate single jig category. As for the title, it is often repeated that the word “maggot” is from the Italian magioletta, a type of dance. I have also seen the following, or something […]
Dever the Dancer (Edor)
“Dever the Dancer” is a common session slip jig, and has been recorded many times. It appears in O’Neill’s 1850, tune #1147, and O’Neill’s 1001, tune #431, so it is at least as old as the late nineteenth century. It has long been a popular slip jig in Ireland. As was all too common in […]
Maids of Ardagh (D/A)
The “Maids of Ardagh” is a very happy little Sliabh Luachra polka, though some may think it quite twee. The first part is in D, the second part in A. In the last measure, the second time through, just remember that any “d” will do. It is often associated with the Sliabh Luachra button accordion […]
Navvy On The Line (G)
“Navvy On The Line” is another light-hearted hornpipe. Often attributed to the Tyneside fiddler James Hill (1811-1853), a man fond of hornpipes, this tune is also called the “London Hornpipe.” The word “Navvy” is an 18th century truncation of “navigator,” referring to the well-paid, hard-drinking, and profligate manual laborers working on civil engineering projects in […]