Annotation:Merrily Kiss the Quaker

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MERRILY KISS(ED) THE QUAKER. AKA and see "Humors of Last Night (The)," "Merrily Kissed the Quaker's Wife," "Merrily Kiss the Crater." Irish, Slide (12/8 time). Ireland, West Kerry. G Major (most versions): D Major (Feldman & O'Doherty). Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'B (Feldman & O'Doherty/O'Donnell #1): AABB (Feldman & O'Doherty/O'Donnell #2): AABBCC (most versions). The tune, most likely of Scottish origin, can be traced to Dublin publishers John and William Neal(e), who printed a version as "Ye Ragg" in their A Choice Collection of Country Dances (1724), a collection of tunes of mixed English, Scottish and Irish provenance. O'Farrell's version is essentially the one printed by the Neals. The first Scottish collection to contain the tune is Robert Bremner's Collection of Scots Reels or Country Dances (1760). The jig-like dance for the Irish slide is mainly done in the south west of Ireland, esp. west Clare and Cork, and County Kerry, according to the Boys of the Lough. The word 'crater' in the alternate title means whiskey. As "Humors of Last Night (The)" the melody can be found in O'Neill's collection of 1787 and piper O'Farrell's second collection (1st decade of the 19th century), set in four parts (reprinted in Stanford/Petrie, No. 477). Scots versions parallel and predate Irish versions; for the former, see Annotation:Merrily Danced the Quaker. The titles in both genres vary between 'Kiss/Kissed/Dance/Danced' and 'Quaker/Quaker's Wife'. See also Glasgow music publisher James Aird's derivative tunes "Wilke's Wrigle" or "Deil's Awa with the Exciseman", printed in Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 1 (c. 1782, No. 145).

Source for notated version: The Rice-Walsh MSS [Abeyta et al, O'Neill]. Boys of the Lough [Brody]; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border), recorded in recital in 1985 at Kenmare [Moylan]; fiddler Danny O'Donnell (County Donegal) [Feldman & O'Doherty].

Printed sources: Abeyta et al (Drawing from the Well), 2010; p. 13. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 186. Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland, vol. 1), 1974; No. 77. Feldman & O'Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1978; p. 183. Mac Amhlaoibh & Durham (An Pota Stóir: Ceol Seite Corca Duibne/The Set Dance Music of West Kerry), No. 66, p. 40. Moylan (Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra), 1994; No. 127, pp. 74–75. O'Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody), Nos. 111–113. Treoir, vol. 38, No. 1 (2006); p. 28. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, vol. 1), 1999; p. 28. Vallely (Learn to Play the Tin Whistle with Armagh Pipers Club, vol. 2); No. 14, p. 9.

Recorded sources: Great Meadow Music GMM 2018, Frank Ferrel & Joe Derrane – "Fiddledance" (2004. "A session chestnut, but learned mostly from Cathal McConnell of the Boys of the Lough"). Island 9379, Chieftains – "Chieftains 3." Kicking Mule 206, Tom Gilfellon – "Kicking Mule's Flat-Picking Guitar Festival." Polydor 2383 379, Planxty – "Planxty Collection." Rounder 3006, Boys of the Lough – "Second Album" (1974). Shanachie 79009, "Planxty." Shanachie 79012, Planxty – "The Planxty Collection" (1974).

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1] and [2]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [3]
Hear/see Pierre Bensusan play the tune on youtube.com [4]

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