Annotation:Over the Moor to Maggie (2)
Back to Over the Moor to Maggie (2)
OVER THE MOOR TO MAGGIE [2] (Treasna an riasc go Mairgreadin). AKA and see "Green Meadow (1)," "Humors of Fairy Mount (The)," "Kittie's Wedding," "Peggy's Wedding (2)," "Waynesburgh," "Willow Tree (4) (The)." Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (Mitchell): ABC (O'Neill): AABBCC (Mallinson, Taylor): AA'BB'CC (Taylor/Tweed). The earliest appearance of the tune in print is in P.M. Haverty's One Hundred Irish Airs, vol 2 (New York, 1858), as a two-part untitled hornpipe. An older version of the same melody in jig time is known as "Leg of the Duck (1) (The)."
As a reel, the tune is associated with Clare uilleann piper Willie Clancy, who recorded it in 1967. So influential was he that the third part of the tune (although clearly predating him in O'Neill) is sometimes attributed to him (although Pat Mitchell's transcription of Clancy's version of the tune has but two parts). P.W. Joyce printed a close variant of the tune as "Peggy's Wedding" in 1909. Reports are that an ancestral tune appears in County Fermanagh's Gunn manuscripts, dating from 1865, under the title "Rakes of Abeyfale" (Abbeyfeale is a town in extreme west County Limerick). "Waynesboro" and "Ladies in the Ballroom (1)" are cognate American tunes. Breathnach's "Over the Moor to Peggy" is a similarly titled, but different, tune. The earliest sound recording of the reel is by Brooklyn accordion player John J. "Dutch" Kimmel in 1916, under the title "Swallow's Tail." Cape Breton musicians sometimes play the tune as "Willow Tree (4) (The)."
Sources for notated versions: piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, west Clare) [Mitchell]; set dance music recorded at Na Píobairí Uilleann, late 1980's [Taylor]; New Hampshire fiddler Rodney Miller [Taylor/Tweed].
Printed sources: Cotter (Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor), 1989; 72. Giblin (Collection of Traditional Irish Dance Music), 1928; 8. P.M. Haverty (One Hundred Irish Airs vol. 2), 1858; No. 148, p. 68 (appears as untitled hornpipe). R.M. Levey (First Collection of the Dance Music of Ireland), 1858; No. 102, p. 40 (appears as untitled hornpipe). Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 56, p. 25. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 120, p. 99. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 786, p. 136. Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 88, p. 32. Taylor (Traditional Irish Music: Karen Tweed's Irish Choice), 1994; p. 22. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Blue Book), 1995; p. 24.
Recorded sources: TARA 2012, Oisín – "Over the Moor to Maggie" (1980). Laurie Andres - "Fantastic Hornpipe: Fiddle Tunes on Accordion and Piano" (1991). "Music at Matt Molloy's."
See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [3]
See/hear the tune played by Gruig on youtube.com [4]
Hear tin whistle player Michael Crehan play the tune at the Comhaltas Archive [5]
Hear County Roscommon flute player Micheal Glynn's (1900–1943) 78 RPM recording at the Comhaltas Archive [6]