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 that includes "Green Fields of Ireland." The tune was first recorded for Columbia as "Dowd's Favorite" by Co. Longford fiddler James (Jim) Clark (1887-1938) in December, 1935. That name is usually associated with a different tune recorded by Michael Coleman, but may indicate that Clark was crediting the Sligo fiddler John O'Dowd, one of Coleman's mentors, as the source. Longford/New York fiddler Paddy Reynolds (1920-2005) gave the name to New York musician Don Meade as "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. "Mother's Delight," another reel first recorded by Jim Clark, has a part very similar to the third part of "Malloy's Favorite, which has led to some degree of confusion and some use of the "Mother's Delight" name for the other tune as well.

Source for notated version: fiddler Michael Coleman (1891-1945, County Sligo, Ireland/New York) [Breathnach]; fiddler John Doherty (1900-1980, County Donegal) [Feldman and O'Doherty].

Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ III), 1985; No. 148, p. 69. Feldman & O'Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1979; p. 67 (two parts only, misidentified as "Cameronian Reel").

Recorded sources: Columbia 33547-F (78 RPM), James Clark (1935, as "Dowd's Favorite") - reissued on The Fiddler's Delight, Oldtime Records OTR 107 (CD), 2016. Shanachie Records 330006 (LP), The Classic Recordings of Michael Coleman, as "Malloy's Favorite" (1979).