Annotation:Maloney's Wife

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MALOWNEY'S/MALONEY'S WIFE (Bean-Ceile Ui Maoileoin). AKA – "Mullowny’s Jigg," "Malowney's Jig." AKA and see "Bashful Maid (The)," "Biddy Maloney," "Maloney's Fancy," "Mellonie's Jig," "Miss Ommany's Reel," "Paddy in London," "What do you think of her now?" Irish, Double Jig (6/8 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Hime): AABBCC (Flaherty, Harker/Rafferty, Kennedy, O'Neill): AABB'CC (Taylor). The earliest printing appears to be in O'Farrell (Nathional Music, 1804), under the title "Mullowney's Jigg," printed with sets of variations. "Maloney's Wife" shares the same 'A' part as "Mellonie's Jig" printed in Gow's Complete Repository (Part 3, 1806, p. 38). Editor David Taylor believes his version, noted from the playing of the band Shaskeen, is superior in the third part to the version in O'Neill. Taylor's version, he remarks, is the 'modern' one, while that of Flaherty is perhaps a more "traditional" setting.

"Maloney's Wife" appears in a few 18th century musicians' manuscripts: twice it was entered by flute player Thomas Molyneaux of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, in his 1788 copybook (where he identifies himself as an Ensign in the 6th Regiment); keyboard players Sally and Eliza Marchant of Newport, R.I., penned it into their copybook; and fiddler George White of Cherry Valley, N.Y., added it to his copybook of 1790. The jig (as "Mullowney's Jigg") was entered into The Buttery Manuscript (c. 1784-1820, No. 533, sometimes called the John Fife ms.) by John Buttery (1784-1854), who joined the 34th Regiment in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, in 1797 and served as a fifer until discharged in 1814. His large ms. contains marches, duty calls, dance tunes and airs.

Francis O'Neill also prints a version of the melody under the title "Bashful Maid (The)," while his "Biddy Maloney" is a closely related tune. See also flute player Eddie Duffy's "McCormack's Jig," (in Hidden Fermanagh, p. 78); the first two parts are the same as "Maloney's", with a different third part. Compare with the Scottish jig "Newbyth House (2)." Northumbrian musician William Vickers included a version of the jig in his 1770 music manuscript collection [1] under the title "What do you think of her now?", a name not found elsewhere.

Sources for notated versions: flute player and piper John Ennis, originally from County Kildare [O'Neill]; Shaskeen (Ireland) [Taylor]; tin whistle player Jimmy McGettrick (b. 1909, Aughris, Rathmullen, Ballymote, Co. Sligo) [Flaherty]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Printed sources: Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 61 (as "Maloney's Fancy"). Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 136. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 240, p. 74. Hime (Forty Eight Original Irish Dances Never Before Printed with Basses, vol. 1), Dublin, 1804, No. 9. Kennedy (Fiddler's Tune-Book: Jigs & Quicksteps, Trips & Humours), 1997; No. 113, p. 28. O'Farrell (Collection of National Irish Music for the Union Pipes), 1804; p. 32 (appears as "Mullowney's Jigg with Variations"). O'Farrell (Pocket Companion, vol. 1), c. 1805; pp. 62–63 (appears as "Mullowney's Jigg"). O'Flannagan (The Hibernia Collection), Boston, 1860; p. 17. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 71. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 709, p. 132. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 11, p. 18. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 119 (as "Maloney's Fancy"). Straight and Skillern (Two Hundred and Four Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1), c. 1775; No. 161, p. 81. Taylor (Through the Half-Door), 1992; No. 62, p. 44.

Recorded sources: Shaskeen – "Atlantic Breeze" & "Shaskeen Live."

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [3]
Hear the tune played by Paddy Higgins, Tom Mulhaire, Ned Coleman in 1957 at the Comhaltas Archive [4]

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