Annotation:Port Athol (1)

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PORT ATHOL. AKA – “Port Atholl.” AKA and see "Hawk of Ballyshannon (The)," "O'Moore's Fair Daughter," "Katherine O'More." Scottish/Irish, Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB'. Originally composed for a patron by early 17th century Ulster-born (Francis O’Neill says he was born c. 1646, though he is also recorded as having died around 1650) harper Rory Dall O'Cahan, who traveled into Scotland and long toured, playing to the great families of that country. Atholl is in central Perthshire. The blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) 'touched' "Port Athol" into his "O'Moore's Daughter" (Grattan-Flood, 1906). The air was collected and printed by Belfast musician Edward Bunting. Several (four) early versions of the melody appear in the Balcarres Lute Manuscript, compiled in 1692-1694, and the tune appears to have been well-known by lutenists of the era. There are, however, two distinctly different tunes with the name “Port Atholl,” one printed by Bowie and Oswald.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Dow (A Collection of Ancient Scots Music), c. 1775; pp. 11-12.

Recorded sources:

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