Annotation:Seán sa Cheo

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X:1 T:Seán sa Cheo T:John in the Fog T:Séan in the Fog R:reel H:Also played in Gmix N:Similar to #303. See also #519 D:Vinnie Kilduff D:Paul McGrattan: The Frost Is All Over D:Laurence Nugent Z:id:hn-reel-313 Z:transcribed by henrik.norbeck@mailbox.swipnet.se M:C| K:Amix (3Bcd|e2df eABd|~e3c d2BA|Beed eggd|(3Bcd ge dG (3Bcd| e2df eA (3Bcd|~e3c d2Ba|beed eggd|(3Bcd ge dG (3Bcd|| cA~A2 cA (3Bcd|cA~A2 dG (3Bcd|cA~A2 EAcA|(3Bcd gd BG (3Bcd|cA~A2 cA (3Bcd|cA~A2 d3d|cA~A2 eA~A2|(3Bcd ge defg|| |:a2c'a bac'a|~a2c'a ~e3f|1 g2bg agbg|~g2bg efge:|2 ~g3b agef|feed ed||

SEÁN SA CHEO (Jack/John in the Fog). AKA - "Seán sa Ceo." AKA and see "Chancy Cherry Reel," "Chancy Cheory," "Jack in the Fog," “John in the Fog," "John in the Mist,” "Jack and Jill," "Seán is Sinéad," "Tullaghan Lassies (The)." Irish, Reel. A Mixolydian (Vallely): G Mixolydian (O’Malley). Standard tuning (fiddle). AA’B (Vallely): ABC (Flaherty, O’Malley). A popular reel in County Donegal. See also the variants "Tullaghan Lassies," “Jackson's Reel” and "Lough Island Castle." Several writers have mentioned “Seán sa Ceo’s” melodic relatedness to “Jenny's Chickens” and the Scottish reel parent-tune "Sleepy Maggy/Sleepy Maggie." Caoimhin Mac Aoidh (Between the Jigs and Reels, 1994) states it was long in the repertoires of Donegal fiddlers Neilly Boyle (who said he had it from his mother) and the Doherty brothers, who said it was an old family tune. Nevertheless, it has sometimes been attributed by others to County Mayo/New York fiddler and accordion player John McGrath (1900-1955. Several tunes have been attributed to McGrath, an influential teacher in New York, although he is actually only ascertained to have contributed one melody to the tradition – “John McGrath’s Tune”). Mac Aoidh further elucidates that “Séan sa Cheo,” or ‘Jack in the Fog’, is a reference to the enchantment of mortals who sometimes become disoriented while walking fairy paths, sometimes finding themselves lost in a deep mist. The solution, from those who know about such things, is to turn your jacket inside out and put it back on again, which breaks the spell. The tune has become popular with Northside, Cape Breton, fiddlers after being popularized by Johnny Wilmot and is currently being played by Robert and Brenda Stubbert. The second part is played in either 2nd or 3rd position on the fiddle.

Additional notes

Sources for notated versions: - accordion player Joe Fallon (b. 1935, Collooney, Co. Sligo) [Flaherty]; notated by fiddler Sean Maguire for Luke O’Malley during a visit to the latter’s house in the Bronx [O’Malley].

Printed sources : - Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland, vol. 1), 1974; No. 32. Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 101. O’Malley (Luke O’Malley’s Collection of Irish Music, vol. 1), 1976; No. 23, p. 12 (appears as “John in the Fog”). Vallely (Armagh Pipers Club Play 50 Reels), 1982; No. 29, p. 16.

Recorded sources: -Compass 7 4377 2, Lunasa - "Kinnitty Sessions" (2004). Compass 7 4708 2, Altan - "The Gap of Dreams" (2018). Front Hall 018, How to Change a Flat Tire - "Traditional Music of Ireland and Shetland." Green Linnet SIF 1110, Liz Carroll "My Love is in America: The Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival" (1991). Outlet OLP 1016, Finbarr Dwyer - "Ireland's Own Traditional Accordionist" (1971). Philo 2005, John McGreevy & Seamus Cooley - "McGreevy and Cooley" (1974). Rounder RO7023, Natalie MacMaster - “No Boundaries” (1996. Learned from Cheticamp, Cape Breton, fiddler Arthur Muise, who had it from the Stubbert family). Shanachie 34014, James Kelly, Paddy O’Brien & Daithi Sproule – “Traditional Music of Ireland” (1995). Shaskeen Records OS 360, Andy McGann, Felix Dolan & Joe Burke "A Tribute to Michael Coleman" (c. 1965). Danny O’Donnell – “Ón tSean-Am Anall” (Neilly Boyle’s version—“ Frank O’Higgins got it from Neilly and it was frequently played”). Shanachie 34014, James Kelly, Paddy O'Brien & Daithi Sproule - "Traditional Music of Ireland" (1995).

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [2]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [3]

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