Annotation:Little Heathy Hill (The)

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LITTLE HEATHY HILL [2], THE (An Cnoicín Fraoich). AKA - "Knuckeen Free." Irish, Air and Hornpipe. A Minor (O'Neill): G Minor (Joyce). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Joyce): AABB' (O'Neill). O'Niell (1922) remarks: "In the days of our fathers, 'An Chnoicin Fraoich', or 'Little Heathy Hill', both as song and air enjoyed no little popularity in the province of Munster, particularly in the counties of Cork and Kerry. As an air several settings of the melody have been printed, but never as a hornpipe until now, and under its colloquial name among the peasantry. It will be remembered that many notable dance tunes, especially hornpipes and long dances, have been derived from song airs, such as 'The Blackbird', 'The Job of Journeywork', 'The Garden of Daisies', 'Rodney's Glory', and many others." Joyce (1873) says "A setting of this air has been given in Mr. John O'Daly's Poets and Poetry of Munster (2nd ed., p. 70) with one strain of an Irish song." The title has been Englished as "Knocken Free" or "Knucken Free."

Source for notated version: piper James Buckely (Limerick) [Joyce].

Printed sources: Joyce (Ancient Irish Music), 1873; No. 71, p. 72. O'Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody), 1922; No. 312.

Recorded sources:

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