Annotation:Scotsman over the Border

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X:2 T:Scots came o'er the Borders, The M:6/8 L:1/8 R:Jig S:Colclough – Tutor for the Irish Union Pipes (c. 1830) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D D3 F2A | dfe e2A | BcB B2 (g/b/) | baf fed | DED F2A | dd/e/f/e/ d2A |{B/c/}d2B AFA | D2F FED :| |: (3A/B/c/ | dfa afa | baf fed | dfa bc'd' | def Te2d | dfa afa | baf fed | (B/c/d)B AFA | dAF FED :| P:"Variations" DFA DFA| dfe d2A | DGB DGB | def e2d | DFA DFA | dfe d2A | BdB AGA | D2F FED :| |: dfa dfa | baf fed | df/g/a/f/ | af/g/a/f/ | def e2d | dfa dfa | baf fed | dBB AGA |{B/c/}d2F FED :|

SCOTSMAN OVER THE BORDER. AKA and see "Charlie over the water," "Scotch come over the Border," "Blue Bonnets Jig," "Scotchman over the Border," "Over the Border (3)." Also see "Mist on the Meadow," "Mist in the Glen." Irish, Jig (6/8 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA’B (Feldman & O’Doherty): AABB (most versions): AABBCCDD (Kennedy). A variant of the Scottish jig “Blue Bonnets over the Border.” The tune appears in the mid-19th century Goodman manuscripts as "Charlie over the water" and in O’Neill’s Music of Ireland (1903) as “Blue Bonnet's Jig.”

The tune was recorded on a 78 RPM disc by Paddy Killoran (1904-1965) in 1934 (paired with “Tenpenny Bit”). Killoran emigrated to New York from near Ballymote, County Sligo, in 1922, settled in the Bronx, recorded, played and owned a bar.

Additional notes

Source for notated version: - fiddler Peter Turbit [Feldman & O’Doherty]; concertina player Noel Hill and fiddler Tony Linnane [Taylor/Tweed].

Printed sources : - Colclough (Tutor for the Irish Union Pipes), c. 1830; p. 19. Feldman & O’Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1978; p. 233 (appears as first “Untitled Jig” on page). Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 44. Kennedy (Traditional Dance Music of Britain and Ireland: Jigs & Quicksteps, Trips & Humours), 1997; No. 143, p. 35 (appears as “Over the Border”). Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 89, p. 38. McGuire & Keegan (Irish Tunes by the 100), 1975; p. 1. Taylor (Traditional Irish Music: Karen Tweed’s Irish Choice), 1994; p. 7.

Recorded sources: - Coleman Center CD CC004, Jim Murphy, James Murray, Kevin Brehony – “The Mountain Road” (1999. Various artists. “A Compilation of tunes popular in South Sligo”). Green Linnet SIF 3018 – “Molloy/Peoples/Brady” (1978. In a set with “Killavil Jig”). Rounder CD 1087, Paddy Killoran – “From Galway to Dublin” (1992. Reissue of 1934 original). Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40481, Brian Conway – “First Through the Gate” (2002).

See also listings at:
Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [ ]
Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [ ]
Alan Ng’s Irishtune.info [ ]

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