Annotation:Old Bush (1) (The)

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OLD BUSH [1], THE (An tSean-Sceach). AKA and see "Bascadh Thomais Mhic an Bhaird," "Bush Reel (The)," "Captain Rock (2)," "Cnoic Fhada Mhughdhorna," "Five Leaf Clover," "Long Hills of Mourne (The)," "Mourne Mountains (1)," "Peggy is Your Head Sick?" "Purty Girl (The)." Irish, Reel. A Dorian (O'Neill): A Dorian/Mixolydian (Harker/Rafferty, Mallinson, Taylor). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (O'Neill): AABB (Mallinson): AA'BB (Taylor): AA'BB' (Harker/Rafferty). Eamonn O'Doherty (1979) remarks that the title to this tune supposedly derives from the Irish custom of planting a special tree as a gathering place, quoting John Dunton (1674): "hither all the people resort with a piper on Sundays and Holydays in the afternoon, where the young folks dance till the cows come home." However, "Captain Rock (2)" may have been an earlier title (by which it appears in the older collections of Petrie (1880) and O'Neill (1903). Brian McNamara (notes to "A Piper's Dream", 2002) remarks that the tune was a favorite of Clare piper Willie Clancy's recorded by him in 1960 on the All-Ireland Champions album. and was also associated with the playing of County Clare musicians Paddy Canny, P.J. Hayes and Peter O'Loughlin. "Old Bush" was one of the first tunes recorded by the Ballinakill Céilí Band (East Galway) for Parlophone of London in July 1930 (the band's founding members were Anna Rafferty, Stephen Maloney, Tommy Whelan, Tommy Whyte, Jerry Maloney). It appears as "Captain Rock (2)" in O'Neill's 1903 collecton and, as an untitled reel, in George Petrie's mid-1880's collection (republished 1902-05, edited by Charles Villiers Stanford); the latter publication also cites a County Clare provenance. Petrie sourced his version to a 19th century musician named Frank Keane. Fiddler Mick Conneely says the tune still has County Clare associations in modern times. Breathnach (CRÉ I) printed it under the title "Long Hills of Mourne." See also the related "Scolding Wife" and an untitled Highland in Feldman & O'Doherty's Northern Fiddler (1979), p. 109.

Sources for notated versions: set dance music recorded at Na Píobairí Uilleann, late 1980's [Taylor]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker]; piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, West Clare) [Mitchell].

Printed sources: Cotter (Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor), 1989; 71. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 149, p. 45. Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 71, p. 30. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 3, p. 30. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 104. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Blue Book), 1995; p. 24.

Recorded sources: Claddagh 4CC 32, Willie Clancy - "The Pipering of Willie Clancy, vol. 1" (1980). Cló Iar-Chonnachta Records CICD 148, Mick Conneely - "Selkie" (2001). Coleman Music Center CHC 009, fiddler Phil McConnan - "The Coleman Archive, vol. 2: The Home Place" (2005. Various artists). Drumlin Records, Brian McNamara - "A Piper's Dream" (2000). Gael-Linn CE 14 (78 RPM), Liam (Willie) Clancy. Green Linnett GLCD 1181, Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill - "The Lonesome Touch" (1997). Green Linnet Records 1058, Matt Molloy & Sean Keane - "Contentment is Wealth" (1985). Topic TSCD 602, Jerry Moloney & Tommy Whyte - "Irish Dance Music" (1995. A reissue of the 1930 original).

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources []
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]

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