Annotation:Dowd's No. 9

Tune properties and standard notation

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DOWD'S NO. 9. AKA and see "The Cow with the Crooked Horn," "Hugh Gillespie's," "Jackson's No. 9," "Summer in Ireland." Irish, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB'. The tune is attributed to Sligo fiddler John O'Dowd, and is often called "O'Dowd's No. 9." No one knows if there were eight other tunes or not, and if there were they appear to be forever lost. John O'Dowd was the uncle of Joe O'Dowd (1913-1987), and thus the great-uncle of Seamus O'Dowd of the group Dervish. The tune was recorded in New York in the 1939 by Donegal fiddler Hugh Gillespie (1906 - 1986), who may have obtained it from County Sligo/New York fiddler Michael Coleman (Carson, 1996); the former had emigrated to Boston, the latter to New York. Dan Healy and Cierán O`Reilly, on the liner notes of their CD, maintain that the famous chieftains of the O`Dowds from Roslea Castle, who were bards and musicians, are responsible for this tune, despite the fact that the reel form arrived in Ireland long after the demise of the old chieftains and the extinction of the bards! New York musician, writer and researcher Don Meade finds a 'primitive version' of the tune in Ryan's Mammoth Collection under the title "Maid of Athens." Fiddler James Kelly associates the tune with the playing of renowned accordion player Joe Cooley, from Peterswell, County Galway.

Source for notated version: fiddler Jimmy McHugh [Bulmer & Sharpley].

Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 165. Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland), 1976, vol. 4, No. 16. Peoples (Fifty Irish Fiddle Tunes), 1986; 23. Taylor (Through the Half-Door), 1992; No. 23, p. 18.

Recorded sources: Capelhouse Records, James Kelly - "Traditional Irish Music" (1996). CEF 115, Frankie Gavin & Paul Brock - "Tribute to Joe Cooley" (1988). Green Linnet SIF 1058, Matt Molloy & Sean Keane - "Contentment is Wealth" (1985). Outlet 3002, Paddy Cronin- "Kerry's Own Paddy Cronin" (1977). Topic 12T364 - Hugh Gillespie - "Classic Recordings of Irish Traditional Fiddle Music." Shaskeen - "Atlantic Breeze." Chieftains - "Water from the Well."

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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Tune properties and standard notation