Annotation:Cuffe Street

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CUFFE ST. AKA and see "Cuffstreet Lasses (The)," "Humors of Cuffe Street (The)," "Humors of Tufts Street," "Old Cuffe Street." Scottish, Irish; Reel. E Minor ('A' part) & D Major ('B' part). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Donnellan): AABB' (Kerr). The reel (as "Cuffstreet Lasses") was collected in the Slieve Gullion region of south County Armagh by the Rev. Luke Donnellan (1878-1952), a rector at Dromintee, who published a collection of over 100 tunes, mostly reels, in 1909 in an article entitled "Oriel Songs and Dances" in The Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society (vol. II, No. 2). Oriel [1] (now Oirialla), or Airgíalla, and Anglicizations, Oriel, Uriel, Orgiall, or Orgialla, was the name of an ancient Irish federation or kingdom largely in what is now the County Armagh, in the north of Ireland. Donnellan was enthusiastic about P.W. Joyce's then recently published Old Irish Music and Songs (1909), but found Irish music rather rare in his area.

The old people of Dromintee will tell you of the number and the skill of musicians who used to come to [nearby] Forkhill fair. I was told there used to be as many as thirty playing at it. They display an extensive knowledge of the names of songs and dance tunes, but cannot sing them. The reel known as “Black Haired Lass (2) (The)” No. 66 inf., seems to have been a great favourite with everyone. These facts point to a vanishing and disappearing musical culture.

Forkhill Fair, held on Michaelmas Day (Sept. 29th) was once the great horse and cattle fair, and festival of the area (St. Michael is the patron saint of horsemen).

American versions of the reel were printed in Ryan's Mammoth Collection (1883) as "Humors of Cuffe Street (The)" and "Humors of Tuft's Street." The tune was recorded as "Old Cuffe Street" by the group Altan. See also the related "Reel of Bogie."

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 4), c. 1880's; No. 97, p. 13.

Recorded sources: Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí CNF 005, Frank Cassidy - "Níl Gar Ann!" (2008. Track recorded in 1950). Gael-Linn CEF060, "Paddy Glackin."

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]

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