Annotation:Maid of Mount Kisco (The)

Back to Maid of Mount Kisco (The)

---

MAID OF MOUNT KISCO (Gearrchaile Shliabh Cisco). Irish, Reel. A Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABCC (Harker/Rafferty, Tubridy): AA'BCC: AA'BCC' (O'Malley): AA'BB'CC' (Alewine). This popular session tune is named after a woman who resided in Mount Kisco, a town of approximately 10,000 souls in Westchester County, directly north of New York City.

Paddy Killoran (1904-1965)

County Sligo fiddler Biography:Paddy Killoran [1] has generally been credited (by Reg Hall, 1995, for one) with either the composition of the tune or adapting an older tune in the Sligo repertoire, although this cannot be confirmed. 'Tune lore' has it that Killoran either named or renamed an existing tune when playing near Mount Kisco when he was asked the name of the piece by either a young lady or a barmaid (depending on the version of the tale). Not knowing the correct title, on the spot he made up "Maid of Mount Kisco" in her honor. However, the late New York accordion player Jim Coogan said that Killoran wrote it for a friend, Ann Mulligan, who resided in Mount Kisco. Flute player John McEvoy believes Killoran composed the tune for his wife, who was originally from County Clare. Killoran recorded the tune for Decca in New York in 1937, the earliest found instance of a sound recording of the melody. Philippe Varlet finds subsequent versions by another Decca Irish artist, Joe Maguire (1945), Leo Rowsome (London, 1947), and the Kincora Céilí Band, led by Kathleen Harrington (Dublin, 1952). Two relatively early versions can be found by older groups on the RTE compilation video "Come West Along The Road". The title is sometimes irritatingly misspelled "Mt. Cisco" perhaps from its appearance in Brendan Breathnach's Ceol Rince na hÉrineann where Kisco is spelled Cisco because in the Irish language there is no letter 'K'. In Ireland the name is pronounced as "Sisco" although name of the Westchester town in pronounced with a hard 'K'. The earliest printed version appears to be from button-accordion player Jerry O'Brien's collection published in Boston around the year 1950.

Sources for notated versions: piper Mattthew Tiernan/Maitiu Mac Tighearnain (Ireland) [Breathnach]; piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, west Clare) [Mitchell]; New York fiddler John McGrath (1900-1955, originally from County Mayo) [O'Malley]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Printed sources: Alewine (Maid that Cut Off the Chicken's Lips), 1987; p. 23 (appears as "Maid of Mt. Cisco"). Breathnach (CRÉ I), 1963; No. 118, p. 49. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 88, p. 28. Lyth (Bowing Styles in Irish Fiddle Playing, vol. 1), 1981; 64. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 93, p. 82. O'Malley (Luke O'Malley's Collection of Irish Music, vol. 1), 1976; No. 57, p. 29. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, Book Two), 1999; p. 21.

Recorded sources: Cló Iar Chonnachta CICD 165, John Wynne & John McEvoy - "Pride of the West" (2007). Coleman Heritage Center CHC 007, Paddy Killoran, James Morrison - "From Ballymote to Brooklyn" (2002). Shanachie 79095, Arcady - "Many Happy Returns" (1995). Tommy Keane - "The Piper's Apron." Michael McGoldrick - "Morning Rory." Tara CD4011, Frankie Gavin - "Fierce Traditional" (2001). Topic TSCD 602, Kincora Ceilidhe Band - "Irish Dance Music" (1995. A reissue of the original 1945 recording, where it appears as "Maid of Mt. Kisko").

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [3]
Hear flute player Packie Duignan's solo recording at the Comhaltas Archive [4]
Hear concertina player Mrs. Elizabeth Crotty c. 1955 play the tune at the Comhaltas Archive [5]
Hear the Kincora Céilí Band play the tune at the Comhaltas Archive [6] (2nd tune in medley with "Carrikcastle Lassies" and "St. Ruth's Bush")

---

Back to Maid of Mount Kisco (The)