Annotation:Londonderry Hornpipe (The)
Back to Londonderry Hornpipe (The)
LONDONDERRY HORNPIPE, THE (Crannciuil Doire-Calgaic). AKA and see "Cash's Hornpipe," "Delaney's Clog," "Delaney's Favorite," "Derry Hornpipe," "Ladies Hornpipe (1)," "Londonderry Clog," "Showman's Clog." Irish (originally), Canadian; Hornpipe. Canada, Ontario. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Allan, Perlman, Phillips): AACC (Perlman): AABBCC (Kerr): AA'BBCC'DD (Moylan): AABBCCDDEEFF (O'Neill). O'Neill states:
No. 1753 has a history. Bernard Delaney introduced the tune consisting of the 1st and 2nd parts on the Irish pipes in a masterly manner, being a great favourite with dancers. Turlough McSwiney, the Donegal piper, added the 3rd part which was improved by Miss Gillan. Later Delaney added the fourth part. In a MS collection I discovered the 5th and 6th parts. It was an old strain closely resembling the others so its two parts were joined to the former making altogether a hornpipe of great style and variety.
Breathnach states (in Ennis, 1977) that O'Neill's setting was played by Leo Rowsome, Willie Clancy and most other pipers. Ken Perlman (1996) states that while this is a three part tune in McDermott's Allan's Irish Fiddler (c. 1920's), on Prince Edward Island the tune is in two strains, although sometimes the second part is the regular 'B' part of O'Neill's melody, and sometimes the 'C' part. The town of Derry was renamed Londonderry as a result of its being granted to the Corporation of London after the confiscation of the O'Neill estates in 1609. It was 'planted' as a colony by the twelve City Corporations (Matthews, 1972). The tune was picked up by Ontario fiddlers, having been popularized by radio fiddler Ward Allen.
Sources for notated versions: Clem Myers (Vt.) [Phillips]; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border) [Moylan]; George MacPhee (b. 1941, Monticello, North-East Kings County) and Eddy Arsenault (b. 1921, Chrysostom, East Prince County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman].
Printed sources: Giblin (Collection of Traditional Irish Dance Music), 1928; 62 (appears as untitled hornpipe). Jarman (Old Time Fiddlin' Tunes); No. or p. 21. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 3; No. 340, p. 36. McDermott (Allan's Irish Fiddler), c. 1920's; No. 96, p. 24 (appears as "The Londonderry"). Moylan (Johnny O'Leary), 1994; No. 227, pp. 130-131. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 210. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 1753, p. 326. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 925, p. 158. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; p. 79. Phillips (The Fiddlecase Tunebook), 1989; p. 35. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 2), 1995; p. 206.
Recorded sources: Condor 977-1489, "Graham & Eleanor Townsend Live at Barre, Vermont." GRT Records 9230-1031, "The Best of Ward Allen" (1973). Sparton Records SP 210, "Ward Allen Presents Maple Leaf Hoedown, vol. 2."
See also listing at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]
Back to Londonderry Hornpipe (The)