Annotation:Mama's Pet (1)
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MAMA'S PET [1] (Peata Mamaí). AKA and see "Mammy's Pet," "Downing's Reel," "Peata Mamaí (1)," "Pheata Mamaí," "Timothy Downing." Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (O'Malley): AA'B (O'Neill, Taylor). Francis O'Neill printed a few versions of the tune, under different titles. In Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody (1922) he explains:
In boyhood days I memorized the first part of this reel from the fiddle playing of Mr. Downing a gentleman farmer who taught me the rudiments of music on the flute. Thirty-five years later the second part was supplied by A.S. Beamish, another West Cork musician. Being without a name the tune was called 'Timothy Downing' or 'Downing's Reel', in the O'Neill Collections. With a third part obtained from the famous fiddler John McFadden of Mayo, this tripartite reel is presented under its presumably true name.
Many versions of the tune exist, although one seems to have derived from Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman, while the other is more common in Munster. Breathnach's "Peata Mamaí" is perhaps a distant version of this setting. Famed Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman recorded the reel in New York in 1921, early in his recording career, as the second tune in a medley, following "Paddy Ryan's Dream."
Source for notated version: Pat O'Brien [Bulmer & Sharpley]; students of New York fiddler John McGrath (1900-1955, originally from County Mayo) [O'Malley]; Timothy Downing/A.S. Beamish/John McFadden [O'Neill].
Printed sources: Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland), 1974, vol. 1; No. 34. O'Brien (Jerry O'Brien's Accordion Instructor), 1949. O'Malley (Luke O'Malley's Collection of Irish Music, vol. 1), 1976; No. 5, p. 3. O'Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody), 1922; No. 205. Taylor (Through the Half-Door), 1992; No. 20, p. 16.
Recorded sources: Coleman Center CD CC004, Harry McGowan, Mick Loftus & Jim Corry - "The Mountain Road" (1999. Various artists. "A Compilation of tunes popular in South Sligo"). Coleman Music Center CHC 009, flute player Roger Sherlock - "The Coleman Archive, vol. 2: The Home Place" (2005. Various artists). Green Linnet GLCD 1211, Kevin Crawford - "In Good Company" (2001. Learned from button accordionist Máirtin O'Connor, although the version is credited to East Galway flute player Eddie Moloney). Shaskeen - "Atlantic Breeze." Shaskeen Records OS-360, Andy McGann, Joe Burke, Felix Dolan - "A Tribute to Michael Coleman" (c. 1965).
See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]
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