Annotation:Kitty in the Lane (1)

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KITTY IN THE LANE [1] ("Caitilin San Sraidin" or "Cití sa Bhóithrín"). AKA and see "Lower Ormond," "Shamrock Reel (2) (The)." Irish, Reel. D Mixolydian/D Major (Cole, Kerr, O'Neill): D Dorian (Plain Brown). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Cole, O'Neill): AAB (Breathnach, Kerr, Plain Brown). As "Katty in the Lane" the title appears in a list of tunes in his repertoire brought by Philip Goodman, the last professional and traditional piper in Farney, Louth, to the Feis Ceoil in Belfast in 1898 (Breathnach, 1997). See also related musical material in the tunes "Lilies of the Field (The)," "Over the Bridge to Peggy (1)" (a shared first strain), "Jenny Picking Cockles"/"Take Her Out and Air Her" and "Sailor's Jacket (The)"/"Come to your Tay."

Accordion player P.J. Conlon, originally from County Galway, recorded a tune entitled "Kitty in the Lane" for Columbia Records in New York in 1929. It has a second part that resembles "Kitty in the Lane (1)", but the tune usually goes by the title "Lilies of the Field (The)" nowadays, a title supplied (and invented) by accordion great Paddy O’Brien of Offaly and Minnesota, states New York musician and researcher Don Meade. Brendan Breathnach found the same tune in an early 20th century ms. by County Monaghan/Tyrone musician Bernard Bogue under the title "Mammy's Pet (2)." Conlon's tune has been classified here as "Kitty in the Lane (4)."

Although the tune appears to be Irish, it first appears in English, Scottish and American sources (Ellis Knowles ms., c. 1847, William Bradbury Ryan's, 1883), and James Kerr's vol. 1, c. 1875).

Source for notated version: a c. 1847 music manuscript by Ellis Knowles, a musician from Radcliffe, Lancashire, England [Plain Brown]; fiddler Paddy Fahey (Kilconnell, east County Galway) [Breathnach].

Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ V), 1999; No. 115, p. 59. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 50. Doyle (Plain Brown Tune Book), 1997; p. 52. P.M. Haverty (One Hundred Irish Airs vol. 2), 1858; No. 122, p. 56. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 1), c. 1880's; No. 8, p. 34. Levey (First Collection of the Dance Music of Ireland), 1858; No. 35, p. 14. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 796, p. 138. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 79.

Recorded sources: Green Linnet Records SIF 1058, Matt Molloy & Sean Keane - "Contentment is Wealth" (1985).

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]

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