Annotation:Limerick Lasses (2)

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LIMERICK LASSES [2] (Gearrchailí Luimnigh). AKA and see "Con McGinley's," "Merry Wives Highland (The)," "Over the Bridge to Beeta," "Over the Bridge to Betty," "Peter hIghne's Single Reel." Irish, Reel. C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Breathnach (1996) finds a variant of the tune as Ed Reavy's Highland "Merry Wives (The)." In County Westmeath it is called "Over the Bridge to Betty" and in Donegal (where it is very popular) it is usually known as "Con McGinley's," although other Donegal names are "Baintreach Mná (An)" (Widow (The)) and "Ríl Shingil Pheadair Uí Ighne" (Peter hIghne's Single Reel).

Source for notated version: the 20th century collection of schoolteacher and fiddler Michael 'Master' McDermott (Carrickmore, southern County Tyrone), who learned his tunes from local musicians [Breathnach]; schoolmaster James Whiteside manuscript (Bray, County Wicklow) [Darley & McCall]. Francis O'Neill obtained several tunes from the Whiteside mss. and had this to say: "James Whiteside, the 'Bard of Bray', County Wicklow, was a genius-scholar, poet, musician, composer. Born in County Monaghan in 1844, he retired after 40 years service as a schoolteacher at Bray. His playing of the violin won two first honors at two Feiseanna. An interesting sketch of his life appears on pages 384-7, [O'Neill's] Irish Minstrels and Musicians."

Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ IV), 1996; No. 168, p. 79. Darley & McCall (The Feis Ceóil Collection of Irish Airs), 1914; No. 50 (appears as an untitled reel). Reavy (Where the Shannon Rises: Collected Compositions of Ed Reavy), 1984; 123 (set as a Highland).

Recorded sources:

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]