Annotation:Maid of Feakle (The)
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MAID OF FEAKLE, THE (An Aindir Ua Fiadcoill). AKA - "Maids of Feakle." Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The first strain of the reel is the same as "For the Sake of Old Decency," "Farewell to Old Decency," and Canon James Goodman's "Coursing (The)," although the second strains of the tunes differ. Nicholas Carolan, biographer of Francis O'Neill, thinks famous collector may have named the tune in honor of his wife, Anna, whose maiden name was Rogers and who came from Feakle, County Clare. Francis O'Neill, in his Irish Folk Music: A Fascinating Hobby (1910, p. 122) explains he obtained the tune during a trip to East Clare in 1906, where, in the Sliabh Aughty area, he had several tunes from fiddlers Johnny Allen, a dance musician and contemporary of Pat Canny, and Michael Touhey, both of whom had been pupils of a blind fiddler named Paddy MacNamara ("Paddy Mack"). The latter taught music in the region in the early part of the 20th century. Touhey was the source for the reel, which had no name, so O'Neill supplied one in honor of his visit.
Source for notated version: set dance music recorded at Na Píobairí Uilleann in the 1980's [Taylor].
Printed sources: O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 775, p. 135. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Yellow Book), 1995; p. 4.
Recorded sources: Celtic Crossings CD0299-02, Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin & Patrick Ourceau - "Tracin" (1999. Learned from concertina player Paddy Murphy from Fiach Roe, Sliabh Callan district, West Clare). Green Linnett GLCD 1155, Martin Hayes - "Under the Moon" (1995).
See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
Hear the tune played by Connie O'Connell, Jimmy Doyle and Seamus MacMathuna at the Comhaltas Archive [2]
Hear the tune played by tin whistle player Micheál Ó hAlmhain at the Comhaltas Archive [3]