Annotation:Plains of Boyle (The)

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PLAINS OF BOYLE, THE (“Magh Luirg” or “Má Luirc”). Irish, Hornpipe. D Major (Harker/Rafferty, McDermott, Mitchell, Moylan, Mulvihill, O’Malley, Vallely): D Major/Mixolydian (Breathnach, DeMarco & Krassen). Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (Mitchell): AABB (most versions): AA’BB’ (Harker/Rafferty, Moylan, O’Malley). A very popular Irish session hornpipe. To the east of Boyle, County Roscommon, are rich flat limestone grasslands, known as the Plains of Boyle, famed for cattle pastures. The tune was recorded in New York in the 78 RPM era in 1924 by County Leitrim flute and uilleann piper Michael Gallagher, and in 1929 twice for Columbia Records: by fiddler and accordion player Frank Quinn (1893-1964), originally from Greagh, Drumlish, Co. Longford, and by fiddler James Morrison (1891-1947), originally from County Sligo.

Sources for notated versions: Sligo-style fiddler James Morrison (Co. Sligo/New York) [DeMarco & Krassen]; piper Jim Brophy, 1972 (Dublin, Ireland) [Breathnach]; accordion player Johnny O’Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border) recorded in recital at Na Píobairí Uilleann, February, 1981 [Moylan]; Cape Breton fiddler Winston “Scotty” Fitzgerald (1913-1987) [Miller & Perron]; piper Andy Conroy (New York, originally from Lough Glynn and Dublin) [Breathnach]; piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, West Clare) [Mitchell]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Printed sources: Breathnach (Ceol II, 1), 1965; No. 6. Breathnach (The Man and His Music), 1997; No. 6, p. 9. Breathnach (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 315, p. 160. Cotter (Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor), 1989; 81. DeMarco and Krassen (Trip to Sligo), 1978; pp. 31, 45, 59. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 262, p. 81. McDermott (Allan's Irish Fiddler), 1920’s; No. 78, p. 20. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 1977; vol. 2, No. 55. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd Edition, 2006; p. 122. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 1, p. 29. Moylan (Johnny O’Leary of Sliabh Luachra), 1994; No. 53, pp. 31-32. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 17, p. 93. O’Malley (Luke O’Malley’s Collection of Irish Music), 1976; No. 122, p. 61. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 217. Vallely (Learn to Play the Fiddle with Armagh Pipers Club), 197?; No. 41, p. 37.

Recorded sources: Celtic Cx 34, "Winston Scotty Fitzgerald" (Cape Breton). Columbia 33330-F (78 RPM), Frank Quinn (1929). Columbia ‎33393-F (78 RPM), James Morrison (1929, paired with "Lawson's Hornpipe). Gael-Linn CE 18 (78 RPM), Liam (Willie) Clancy. Gael-Linn CEF 075, Liam (Willie) Clancy - “Na Ceirnini 78, 1957-1960.” Green Linnet SIF 3007, Mick Hanley – “As I Went Over Blackwater” (1982). June Appal JA0026, Malcolm Dalglish & Grey Larsen – “First of Autumn” (1978). Kells Music KM-9510, Brendan Begley – “We Won’t Go Home ‘Till Morning.” Philo 2005, John McGreevy & Sean Cooley – “McGreevy & Cooley” (1974). Rodeo International RNT 2009, “Winston ‘Scotty’ Fitzgerald and his Fabulous Entertainers” (197?). Shanachie 33004, “The Pure Genius of James Morrison” (1978). Gennett 5451 (78 RPM), Michael Gallagher (uilleann pipes) {1924}. Starr 9567 (78 RPM), Michael Gallagher (uilleann pipes) {1924}. Topic 12TS 373, John Rea – “Traditional Music on the Hammer Dulcimer” (1979).

See also listings at:
Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]
Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Ng’s Irishtune.info [3]
Hear Michael Gallagher's 1924 recording at the Internat Archive [4][5]

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