Annotation:Donegal Jig (1a) (The)

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DONEGAL JIG, THE. AKA and see "Milestone Jig (The)." Irish, Jig. A composition of the classically-trained Irish musician Arthur Darley (1873-1929), who collected and performed traditional music in the early 20th century and who lived for a time in Dunkineely, County Donegal. The tune entered tradition and was collected in The Northern Fiddler (Feldman/O'Doherty, 1979) from the playing of Donegal fiddler Danny O'Donnell (though it was misnamed as "The Milestone"). The name Donegal is Gaelic for 'castle of the strangers.' Caoimhin Mac Aoidh was able to ascertain that the O'Donnell/Doherty piece printed in The Northern Fiddler was a composite of two of three different four-part double jigs that Doherty had learned from Darley. The "The Donegal Jig" is parts 5-6-7-8 of Doherty's piece, while parts 1,2,3 and 4 are a separate untitled Darley composition (the third Darley jig does not appear in The Northern Fiddler). Mac Aoidh states that, "for the record, John preferred to play them the other way around than as they are listed" in the book.

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