Annotation:Muilleann na Máidí

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MUILLEANN NA MAIDÍ (The Twig Mill). AKA - "Crushing of Twigs," "Mill na Máidí," "Old Pinch of Snuff (The)," "Pinch of Snuff (The)." Irish, Reel. Ireland, County Donegal. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). A popular reel in County Donegal. Caoimhin Mac Aoidh (1994) identifies this fiddle tune as having piping influences. Donegal fiddler Mickey Doherty had a five-part version of it. Mac Aoidh relates that this was the favorite tune for a famous Donegal step dancer by the name of Fear na Ropai (Man of the ropes) whose feat it was to dance in a circle on the floor made by a short length of rope he carried with him while fiddlers played this reel. He strove not to dance outside the bounds of the rope and at each successful repetition he would draw the rope tighter until the circumference was little bigger than the space taken up by his feel. The reel is strongly associated with Vincent Campell, according to the band Altan.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources:

Recorded sources: Green Linnett GLCD 1117, Altan - "Harvest Storm" (1992). Vincent Campbell - "The Brass Fiddle" (learned from Mickey Doherty).