Annotation:Jackson's Morning Brush

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JACKSON'S MORNING BRUSH ("Sgaile Micseoin" or "Muisguilt Mhicseoin"). AKA and see "Fairy Haunts," "Jackson's Favourite (1)," "Jackson's Morning Brew," "Morning Brush," "My Mountain Home." Irish, Double Jig. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Roche, Songer): ABC (O'Flannagan): AABBC (Cole, Miller & Perron): AABBCC (Harker/Rafferty, Kennedy, Kerr, Mulhollan, O'Farrell): AABBCC' (Kershaw): ABCD (O'Sullivan/Bunting): AABBCDD (O'Neill/1850, 1001 & 1913): AABBCCDD (Moylan): AABBCCDD' (O'Neill/Krassen). "Jackson's Morning Brush" is the most famous composition by the Irish gentleman musician and composer Walker "Piper" Jackson, who fashioned it in the middle of the last half of the 18th century ("1775," states Bunting). The title refers to the tail of an unfortunate fox (the 'brush'), believes Breathnach (1996), and is sometimes shortened to "Morning Brush." Jackson's home has been cited as either Creeve, Ballibay, County Monaghan (by Bunting), or Ballingarry, County Limerick, although Breathnach (1996) finds sound evidence that the townland of Lisduan in the parish of Ballingarry is correct. Jackson (d. 1798) was a man of some wealth and land who lived in a residence known as the Turret that commanded a magnificent view of the countryside, although by 1826 it was in ruins having been struck by lightening some years previously. Jackson's name appears as president in notices of a convivial society in Limerick called Cuideachda gan Cúram (company or companionship without care). Grattan Flood says that upon his death he willed sixty pounds a year to the Ballingarry parish, half to go to the Catholic pastor and half to the Protestent rector; Breathnach finds this to be in error, as are many of Flood's assertions, and that the bequestor was actually Miles 'Hero' Jackson, a Sheriff of the city of Limerick and the piper's brother.

A volume of his original melodies plus older airs was published in Dublin by Samuel Lee c. 1774 (as Jackson's Celebrated Irish Tunes, reprinted in 1790), and is probably the manuscript O'Neill (1913) refers to as containing the oldest setting of "Jackson's Morning Brush" (which he finds republished in Grattan Flood's The Story of the Bagpipe, a version which consists of only the first and third strains of O'Neill's setting). Soon after Lee's publication a version with dance directions appeared in Exshaw's Magazine and Walker's Hibernian Magazine in 1778; the same dance instructions appear in the Dublin publication The Charms of Melody, 1776. London publishers Charles and Samuel Thompson picked it up for their Compleat Collection of 200 Country Dances, vol. 4 (1780). "Jackson's Morning Brush" was introduced, according to O'Neill (1913) in John O'Keefe's opera The Agreeable Surprise in 1781 and thereafter was included in almost every collection of Irish music. The melody retains some currency among traditional musicians today. "Jackson's Morning Brush" appears in several American musicians' copybooks of the late 18th century, including those of William Morris of the First Regiment Hunterdon (County, New Jersey), compiled 1776-1777, fifer Aaron Thompson (New Jersey, 1777-1782), Eben Iriving (Middletown, N.Y., 1796), fluter John Hoff (Lancaster, Pa., 1797), and Major John Gaylord (Conn., 1816). Henry Moore Ridgeley entered dance steps for the tune in his copybook of 1799.

According to Donal Hickey (Stone Mad for Music, 1999), "Jackson's Morning Brush" in the Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork/Kerry border was associated with James Gandsey, 'the Killarney Minstrel', who died in 1857 at the age of 90. Gandsey survives in folk memory in Sliabh Luachra and some facts are clearly remembered. The son of a soldier in Ross Castle and a native Killarney mother, Gandsey was almost completely blinded in infancy by smallpox. He became known as Lord Headley's Piper and contributed several tunes to the regional repertoire, including as well "Madam Bonaparte" and "Fox Chase (3) (The)." He is buried in Muckross Abbey, Killarney, where a plaque has been erected in his memory.

Sources for notated versions: the Irish collector Edward Bunting noted the tune "from a piper in 1797"; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region, Kerry), recorded in recital at Na Piobairi Uilleann, February, 1981 [Moylan]; "from Bernard Delaney and others of our best traditional musicians in Chicago" [O'Neill/1913]; Kerry Elkin (Massachusetts) [Songer]; the music manuscript of Joseph Kershaw, a musician from Slackcote, Saddleworth, North West England who began his entries around the year 1820 [Kershaw]; piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973) of West Clare [Miller & Perron]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Printed sources: Aird (Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 1), 1782; No. 22, p. 8. Bunting (Ancient Music of Ireland), 1840; No. 124, p. 95. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 58. Joseph Kershaw Manuscript, 1993; No. 75. Giblin (Collection of Traditional Irish Dance Music), 1928; No. 79. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 241, p. 74. Haverty (One Hundred Irish Airs, vol. 1), 1858; No. 26, p. 11. Holden (Old Established Tunes, vol. 1), 1806-7; p. 5. Kennedy (Traditional Dance Music of Britain and Ireland: Jigs & Quicksteps, Trips & Humours), 1997; No. 85, p. 21. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 4), c. 1880's; No. 194, p. 22. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music, vol. 1), 1977; No. 48. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd Edition, 2006; p. 23. Moylan (Johnny O'Leary), 1994; No. 37, pp. 22-23. Murphy (Irish Airs and Jigs), 1809; p. 5. Mulhollan (Selection of Irish and Scots Tunes), Edinburgh, 1804; p. 22. O'Farrell (Pocket Companion, vol. II), c. 1806; p. 88. O'Flannagen (Hibernia Collection), 1860; p. 11. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 77. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 899, p. 167. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 146, p. 39. O'Neill (1913), p. 135. O'Sullivan/Bunting (Bunting's Ancient Music of Ireland), 1983; No. 124, pp. 179-180. Peoples (Fifty Irish Fiddle Tunes), 1986; No. 33. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; p. 115 (as "Morning Brush"). Riley (Riley's Flute Melodies, vol. 1), 1814; p. 13 (as "Morning Brush"). Roche (Collection of Traditional Irish Music, vol. 1), 1914; No. 104, p. 45. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 86. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; p. 109.

Recorded sources: Celtic Records CX 43, John Wilmot – "John Wilmot." Claddagh Records CC17, Sean Keane – "Gusty's Frolics" (1975). Folkways FW 6818, Leo Rowsome (1966. A re-release of the HMV IM 525 78 RPM recording of 1938). HMV IM525 (78 RPM), Leo Rowsome (1944).

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]
thesession.org [3]
Hear piper Leo Rowsome's recorded version at Comhaltas Archives [4]
Hear Leo Rowsome's 1944 recording at the Internet Archive [5] (1st tune in medley with "Clare Jig (1) (The)")