Annotation:White Leaf (The)
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WHITE LEAF (An duilleog bhán). AKA and see "Marquis of Tullibardine (The)." Irish, Reel. A Major (Miller & Perron): G Major (Breathnach). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Randy Miller and Jack Perron thought it might have been composed by their source, Oliver O'Higgins, but it is considerably older than that. “The White Leaf” seems similar to the well-known “Mason's Apron (The), but researcher Conor Ward finds that it is cognate with and probably derived from the Scottish reel "Marquis of Tullibardine (The)." He writes:
"This was one of the most popular tunes played in the area of Leitrim and Longford. I have found it across several regional manuscripts from the late 19th century onwards, all mostly with the title "The White Leaf." See also the variant “Tinker's Bib (The)” (Stephen Grier MS, Co. Leitrim, 1883). "The White Leaf" was sometimes called “Green Leaf (The).”
Source for notated version: Oliver O’Higgins (Cloon, County Leitrim) [Miller & Perron]; the mid-20th century collection of Jack Wade (County Monaghan), who included the note “This is the old way of playing it. It is played quite differently now like many more” [Breathnach].
Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ IV), 1996; No. 191, pp. 88-89. Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland, vol. 4), 1976; No. 26. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 1977; Addenda. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd Edition, 2006; p. 109.
Recorded sources: Cló Iar-Chonnachta CICD 173, Brian Conway – “Consider the Source” (2008). Green Linnet GLCD 1227, Oisín Mac Diarmada – “Ar an bhFidil” (2004).