Annotation:Kilmarnoch's Reel

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KILMARNOCH'S REEL. Scottish, Reel. The melody appears in the Drummond Castle Manuscript, 1734, in the possession of the Earl of Ancaster at Drummond Castle. It is inscribed "A Collection of the best Highland Reels written by David Young, W.M. & Accomptant." "The name Kilmarnoch probably refers to Ernan, a nephew of St. Columba and later himself a bishop, but his (Celtic) admirers turned his name into Ernoc (-oc being a diminutive ending often applied to personal names as in Petroc, Cadoc, etc.), and then spoke of him as Ma Ernoc, ma being a term of affection, so that Kilmarnick is really 'the church of my dear little Ernan'. St. Ernan's head was long preserved at Kilmarnock. It was washed every Sunday and the water given to the sick, from which they derived great benefit" (Matthews, 1972).

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