Annotation:Mother's Delight

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MOTHER'S DELIGHT (Aoibhneas na Máthar). AKA and see "Sean Frank." Irish, Reel. Ireland. D Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (Breathnach): AABB (Taylor). Recorded by fiddler James (Jim) Clark (1887-1938) of Drumlish, Co. Longford, in October, 1928 in New York. Two of the three parts were notated from Donegal fiddler John Doherty for The Northern Fiddler, though the editors mis-identified it as "The Cameronian."

Though the tune has been associated with Clare fiddlers Bobby Casey, Joe Ryan and John Kelly, Oldtime Records co-founder Emmett Gill reports that their source was the Jim Clark version. The tune has a resemblance to the family of tunes that includes "Colonel McBain", "Sean Frank" and "Johnny's Wedding."

Sources for notated versions: flute player and fiddler Peter O'Loughlin, 1966 (Kilmaley, Co. Clare, Ireland) [Breathnach]; Jim Donoghue (b. 1910, Drimacoo, Monasteraden, County Sligo) [Flaherty].

Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 240, pp. 124-125. Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 180 (appears as "Unknown"). Taylor (Where's the Crack), 1989; p. 6.

Recorded sources: Gael-Linn CEF060, "Paddy Glackin" (1977). Cois na hAbhna Archive CNH 010 CD, 2015, "Maestro," Bobby Casey and Joe Ryan.