Annotation:John Carey's Daughter

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JOHN CAREY'S DAUGHTER (Ingean Sean/Seagain Ui Ciarda). Irish, Hornpipe. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. John Carey was a native of Limerick who contributed a few tunes to the O'Neill collections at the start of the 20th century (see "Pipe on the Hob (1)", for example). He is not mentioned in O'Neill's Irish Minstrels and Musicians (1913), but receives recognition in Irish Folk Music, a Fascinating Hobby (), where O'Neill notes he was a fiddler, "long a resident of Chicago."

Born and grown to manhood in County Limerick and brought up in the midst of a community where old ideas and customs prevailed, his memory was stored with traditional music. He numbered among his relatives many pipers and fiddlers, and being quite an expert on the violin himslef in his younger days before that arch-enemy of musicians--rheumatism-- stiffened his fingers, his settings were ideal. Gradually, from week to week, and extending into years, his slumbering memory surrendered gems of melody unknown to this generation, and not until within a few months of death did his contributions entirely cease. Even Mrs. Carey's memory yielded up a fine reel, the "Absent-minded Woman," which her husband did not play."

Source for notated version: "J. O'Neill" [O'Neill]. Chicago Police Sergeant James O'Neill was a fiddler originally from County Down. He had formal musical training and a large store of tunes, and served as Francis O'Neill's transcriber and collaborator on his early volumes.

Printed sources: O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 211. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 1757, p. 327. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 929, p. 159.

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