Annotation:Floggin' (The)
Tune properties and standard notation
FLOGGIN', THE ("An Seisd Buailteac" or "Ríl na Lasctha"). AKA - "The Flogging Reel." AKA and see "Flaggon (The)" (Scottish), "Flagon (The)," "Flogging Reel (The)" (Ire.), "Humours of Bantry Bay," "Newry Lass (The)," "Slashing Reel." Irish, Reel. G Major ('A' and 'B' parts) & G Mixolydian ('C' part). Standard tuning (fiddle). ABC (Breathnach, Mallinson, Mitchell): AABC (O'Neill/1915 & 1001, Taylor): AABCC (Allan's, Gow): AABBC (O'Neill/1850): AABB'CC (O'Neill/Krassen). As "The Flogging Reel" the tune is a popular reel in County Donegal. Breathnach (1976) says it is related to "Fife Reel (The);" see also the first part of "Pirrie Wirrie." O'Neill (1913) mentions this tune in an anecdote about uilleann piper Patrick Ward, a 19th century farmer-piper of Blackbull, Drogheda. Ward was an accomplished fiddler before he picked up the pipes, but learned, as most did, by ear. His first lesson in writing music was not without difficulty; "having neither pen nor ink, he was told by his teacher, 'a dark man', to burn a furze stick and write with its calcined end. This expedient served fairly well. From that day to this he says that whenever he takes a pen in his hand to write music his mind reverts to "the Flogging Reel," which was the first tune set down in the manner mentioned." The reel was remembered by Kilmaley, County Clare, fiddler, flute player and uilleann piper Peader O'Loughlin as one of the tunes he listened to his father, a flute player, play in the 1930's (Blooming Meadows, 1998). The title appears in a list of tunes in his repertoire brought by Philip Goodman, the last professional and traditional piper in Farney, Louth, to the Feis Ceoil in Belfast in 1898 (Breathnach, 1997). The melody was cited as having commonly been played for country dances in Orange County, New York, in the 1930's (under the title "Flogging Reel") {Lettie Osborn, New York Folklore Quarterly}.
Sources for notated versions: concertina player Paddy Murphy, 1969 (Béal an Chreaga, Co. Clare, Ireland) [Breathnach/CRÉ II]; piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, west Clare) [Mitchell]; set dance music recorded live at Na Píobairí Uilleann, mid-1980's [Taylor]; piper Liam Ó Floinn (Kildare) [Breathnach/Man & his Music].
Printed sources: Allan's Irish Fiddler, No. 58, pg. 14. Breathnach (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 184, pg. 96 ("Ril an Lasctha" {The Flogging Reel}). Breathnach (The Man & his Music), 1996; No. 7, pg. 104. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 254 (appears as "The Flaggon"). Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 7. Giblin (Collection of Traditional Irish Dance Music), 1928; 26. Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 26, p. 12. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 118, p. 98. O'Neill (O'Neill's Irish Music), 1915; No. 263, p. 135 (appears as "The Flogging Reel"). O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 97 (appears as "Flogging Reel"). O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 1206, p. 227 (appears as "Flogging Reel"). O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 482, p. 92 (appears as "The Flogging Reel"). Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 27. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Yellow Book), 1995; p. 28.
Recorded sources: Compass Records 7 4407 2, Ciaran Tourish - "Down the Line" (2005). Edison 52499 (78 RPM), John J. "Dutch" Kimmel (accordion player from New York City), 1929. Island ILPS 9501, "The Chieftains Live" (1977). Rounder 7004, Joe Cormier - "The Dances Down Home" (1977. Appears as "The Flaggon"). Mick Coyne - "Both Sides of the Coyne."
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 []