Annotation:Merry Wives Highland (The)

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MERRY WIVES (HIGHLAND), THE. Irish, Highland (cut time). C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The tune is printed in Ed Reavy's collected works and is claimed by him, however, Caoimhin Mac Aoidh (1994) finds it identical to a Donegal reel entitled "Baintreach Mná (An)," learned by the late fiddler Francie Dearg O'Byrne as a boy from the playing of his father (in the key of D Major). See also the reel settings "Limerick Lasses (2)" and "Con McGinley's." Mick Brown (commenting on the Irtrad list on Sept. 2nd, 1999) is of the opinion that Reavy based "Merry Wives" on "Con McGinley's," an "indeed its similarity with the Glencolmcille (Donegal) setting would suggest Paddy Bhillí na Rópaí as a possible source (Reavy mentions him elsewhere as 'Pat Boyle')."

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Reavy (The Collected Compositions of Ed Reavy), No. 123, p. 137.

Recorded sources:

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