Annotation:Celia Connellan

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CELIA CONNELLAN (Sigile Ni Conallain). AKA and see "Little Celia Connellan," "My Love's the Fairest Creature," "My Only Joe and Dearie O." Irish, Slow Air (2/4 time). D Minor/F Major (O'Neill): A Minor (Heymann). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Bunting says the composer of this air is Irish harper Thomas Connellan (c. 1640-1700), and published two versions in his Ancient Music of Ireland (1840). A Scottish version is found as "My Only Jo and Dearie O/My Only Joe and Dearie O," says Heymann, but the relationship (at least between O'Neill and Gow's "My Only...") seems distant at best. The title given as "Shiely Ni Conolan," it was one of the tunes recorded in the Belfast Northern Star of July 15, 1792, as having been played in competition by one of ten Irish harp masters at the last great convocation of ancient Irish harpers, the Belfast Harp Festival, held that week. See also "Little Celia Connellan (1)" for variants by 19th century fiddler Hugh O'Beirne and piper Paddy Conneely.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Heymann (Off the Record), 1990; pp. 26-28. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 596, p. 105.

Recorded sources: Clairseach Records 2381, Ann Heymann - "Ann's Harp" (1981).

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