Annotation:Misty Mountain (The)

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MISTY MOUNTAIN, THE. AKA and see “Mist Covered Mountian (2) (The).” AKA – “Mist on the Mountain.” Irish, Jig. A Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA’BB’. The tune was composed by West Clare fiddler Junior Crehan (1908-1998), adapted from the Scottish song “Mist Covered Mountains of Home (The)” (Chi Mi na Morbheanna). Crehan was a member of the famed Laichtín Naofa Céilí Band. “The Mist Covered Mountain” refers to Slieve Callen in Clare, according to Caoimhin Mac Aoidh. Accordion player Charlie Piggott learned the tune from Doolin, County Clare, tin-whistle and flute player Micho Russell (1915-1994). Piggott infers the original Scottish melody was often marched to in years past by pipe and brass-and-reed bands around west Clare (Blooming Meadows, 1998). The tune continues to be associated with the playing of the late Junior Crehan, Miltown Malbay, County Clare, who is frequently credited with adapting the Scottish air "Chi mi na mor-bheanna" for the jig. The title reminds one of concertina player and educator Gearóid O hAllmhuráin's statement that: "In Ireland they say that if you can see the mountain, then it's going to rain; if you can't see the mountain, it's raining."

Source for notated version: Kevin Chaisson (b. 1950, Bear River, North-East Kings County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Printed sources: Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland), 1976, vol. 3, No. 61. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 175. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; p. 143.

Recorded sources: Green Linnet GLCD 1127, “Martin Hayes” (1993). Patty Furlong –“Traditional Irish Music on Button Accordion” (1999. Appears as “Mist Covered Mountain”).

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng’s Irishtune.info [2]

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