Annotation:Billy O'Rourke's the Buachaill (1)

Back to Billy O'Rourke's the Buachaill (1)

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BILLY O'ROURKE'S THE BUACHAILL [1] (Se Liam Ua Ruairc an Buacaill). AKA - "Billy O'Rourke is the Boy." AKA and see "Beidh Ril Againn," "Bóthar ó thuaidh go dtí Árainn (An)" (The South Road to Aran), "Day I Married Susie (The),"Day I Married Susan (The)," "Fair of Windgap," "Mrs. Casey," "North Road to Aran (The)," "Paddy's Experience," "Roudlum Randy," "St. Patrick was a Gentleman (3)," "Ta Mo Mhadra." Irish, Air and Single Jig. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. This comic song dates from the early 19th century, and begins:

I greased my brogues and cut my stick,
In the latter end of May, Sir,
And up to Dublin I did sail,
To walk upon the sea, Sir,
To England I resolved to go,
To cut the hay and corn;
And among the Cockney girls to dance
From nigh until the morn.
With my Killy ma crue, no heart more true,
For Billy O'Rourke is the boukal.

Breathnach (CRE II, 1985) also says "Beigh ríl againn" (We'll have a reel) is sung to this air:

Ó, beidh ríl againn,
Beidh ríl againn,
Beidh ríl againn Dé Domhnaigh;
Beidh ríl againn,
Cois taobh an chnoic,
Is cailín deas im theannta.

Oh, we'll have a reel,
We'll have a reel,
We'll have a reel on Sunday;
We'll have a reel,
By the side of the hill,
And a pretty girl along with me (lit. trans. Paul de Grae)

The tune was entered into vol. 2 (p. 147) of the mid-19th century music manuscript collection of County Cork cleric and uileann piper biography:James Goodman, who also entered a version as "Mrs. Casey" in his third volume (p. 224b). See also related tunes "Arra Kitty Be Easy," "Tristram Shandy" and "Ballahaboy Fair."

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: P.M. Haverty (One Hundred Irish Airs vol. 3), 1859; No. 245, p. 119. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 1), c. 1880; No. 36, p. 39 (appears as "Billy O'Rourke"). O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1986; No. 987, p. 170 (appears as "Billy O'Rourke is the Boy").

Recorded sources:

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