Annotation:Oh Sheela My Love
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OH SHEELA MY LOVE (A Sigile Mo Grad). AKA - "Oh Sheela My Love Say Will You Be Mine," "Sheila Ní Guira," "Sheela O'Gara (3)." Irish, Air (6/8 time, "gaily"). E Minor (O'Neill): A Dorian (Kennedy). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (O'Neill): AABB (Kennedy). The tonality shifts between E minor and A dorian. O'Neill's tune, attributed to Harnett, is an exact duplicate of Petrie's "Oh, Sheela, My Love, Say Will You Be Mine?", finds Paul de Grae. See also the close variant "Sheelina Gra Will You be Mine" from piper O'Farrell's early 19th century collection.
Source for notated version: "Harnett" [O'Neill]. Chicago police Sergeant Michael Hartnett was a neighbor of Chief O'Neill's and the source of numerous airs. Born in Munster near the Cork/Kerry/Limerick border, Hartnett was noted as a dancer of the "old school."
Printed sources: Kennedy (Traditional Dance Music of Britain and Ireland: Jigs & Quicksteps, Trips & Humours), 1997; No. 168, p. 40 (appears as "Sheila Ní Guira"). O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 571, p. 100.
Recorded sources: