Annotation:Queen of the Rushes (1)

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QUEEN OF THE RUSHES [1], THE (Banríon na Luachra). AKA and see “Battering Ram (2) (The),” “Ladies of the Ballroom (The) (A Connaught Jigg)” {Petrie}, “Ladies March to the Ball-Room (The).” Irish, Double Jig. D Major (Mulvihill): D Mixolydian (Breathnach): G Major (Sullivan). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCC. The 'low' version (see second version, below). “Battering Ram (2) (The)” is a closely related melody. “Queen of the Rushes” was one of the first tunes recorded by the Ballinakill Céilí Band (East Galway) for Parlophone of London in July 1930 (the band’s founding members were Anna Rafferty, Stephen Maloney, Tommy Whelan, Tommy Whyte, Jerry Maloney). Similarities to “Chorus Jig (3)” and “Chorus Jig (4),” and to the very large family of tunes that includes: “Bliven’s Favorite,” “Butchers of Bristol (1) (The)”, “By Your Leave Larry Grogan,” “Coppers and Brass (2),” “County Limerick Buckhunt,” “Finerty's Frolic,” “Greensleeves (3),” “Hartigan's Fancy,” “Humors of Ennistymon (1) (The),” “Humors of Milltown (2) (The),” “Larry Grogan (1),” “Lasses of Melrose (The),” “Lasses of Melross,” “Little Fanny's Fancy," “Lynn's Favourite,” “Lynny's Favourite,” “Pingneacha Rua agus Pras,” “Waves of Tramore (The),” “Willie Clancy's.” The first strain of “Queen of the Rushes [1]” is similar to, and perhaps cognate with, the first strain of Canon James Goodman’s “Farewell to the Highlands (2).”

Source for notated version: the late Gus Collins (Bronx, NY) [Mulvihill]; Festy Conlan and Tim Lyons [Sullivan]; piper Seán Potts [Breathnach]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ I), 1963; No. 30, p. 13. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 172, p. 53. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 78, p. 81. Sullivan (Session Tunes), vol. 3; No. 3, p. 2.

Recorded sources: Shanachie 79035, Planxty - “Words and Music.” Mike Rafferty – “Speed 78” ().

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Soruces [2]

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