Annotation:Malloy's Favorite

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MALLOY'S FAVORITE (Rogha Uí Mhaolmhuaidh). AKA and see "Mulloy's Reel," "Molloy's Favourite (2)." Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCC. Breathnach (1985) transcribed Michael Coleman's setting from a privately made 1940 recording reissued by Shanachie (see below) and noted that the tune is related to "Colonel Fraser," one of a family of tunes including "Green Fields of Ireland." The tune was recorded for Columbia as "Mother's Delight" by fiddler James (Jim) Clark (1887-1938) of Drumlish, Co. Longford, in October, 1928. Clark recorded it again as "Dowd's Favourite" in 1935 for the Regal-Zonophone label. Clark's 1935 tune name is usually associated with another reel (Dowd's Favorite) but perhaps points to Sligo fiddler John O'Dowd as the source of the setting. Longford fiddler Paddy Reynolds' name for the tune, as related to New York musician Don Meade, was "Col. Fraser's Maggot."

Donegal fiddler John Doherty's two-part version (which skips the Clark/Coleman version's first part), was published under the mistaken name "The Cameronian Reel" in The Northern Fiddler, and this version has also been notated and recorded as "Mother's Delight" (see notes for that tune).

Source for notated version: fiddler Michael Coleman (1891-1945, County Sligo, Ireland/New York) [Breathnach].

Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ III), 1985; No. 148, p. 69.

Recorded sources: Columbia CO 33309-F (78 RPM), James Clark (1928, as "Mother's Delight"). Regal-Zonophone IZ 637 (78 RPM), James Clark (1935, as "Dowd's Favourite"), reissued on The Fiddler's Delight, Oldtime Records OTR 107 (CD). Shanachie Records 330006 (LP), The Classic Recordings of Michael Coleman, as "Malloy's Favorite" (1979)