Annotation:Roaring Mary
X:1 T:Roaring Mary M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel K:D D~F3 ADFA|d~f3 g2 fe|dedB A~F3|DFAF GFEF| D~F3 ADFA|d~f3 g2 fe|dedB ABdf|afeg fd d2:| |:abag fgfe|dedA BAFA|d~g3 b~g3|a~f3 ge e2| D~F3 ADFA|d~f3 g2 fe|dedB ABdf|afeg fd d2:|
ROARING MARY (Máire Bhéiceach). AKA and see “Foxie Mary.” Irish, Reel. D Major (Flaherty, Harker/Rafferty, Kennedy, Mallinson, Miller, Mulvihill): D Mixolydian (Breathnach). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Flaherty): AABB (Breathnach, Harker/Rafferty, Kennedy, Mallinson, Mulvihill). The tune is often associated with accordion player Joe Cooley, who typically played it last in a set of three tunes along with "Humors of Tulla (The)" and "Skylark (1) (The).” The medley (sometimes just “The Skylark” followed by “Roaring Mary”) is still a popular combination at sessions. Martin O’Connor is said to have mentioned that Roaring Mary was one of Joe Cooley’s students. The title, however, is very close to “Foxie Mary,” by which title the tune appears under in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883 (p. 30). Sligo fiddler Paddy Killoran recorded the tune in New York in the 78 RPM era, again under the title “Roaring Mary,” predating by a generation Cooley and his student. “Foxie Mary” is given as an alternate title by Peter Kennedy, taken perhaps from a source familiar with Ryan’s Mammoth Collection.