Annotation:Longford Collector
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LONGFORD COLLECTOR, THE (Bailitheoir Longphoirt). AKA and see "Bonny Boy (The)," "Longford Beggarwoman (The)," "Longford Maid (The)." Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Breathnach, Mulvihill): AAB (Sullivan): AA'BB' (Harker/Rafferty, Mallinson, Moylan, Tubridy). The tune was sometimes known as "The Longford Beggarwoman" in the County Clare border area near Galway (Peter Woods). It is the second tune of a famous and much imitated Michael Coleman medley that includes "Tarbolton Reel" and "Sailor's Bonnet (The)." Barry O'Neill, in his notes for the LP "Wheels of the World," states that the title was known to County Sligo/New York City fiddler Michael Coleman as "The Longford Beggarwoman." The story goes that Coleman was playing the tune in a taproom and after he finished someone asked him the name, which he gave as "Longford Beggarwoman". Immediately, a plate sailed across the room and crashed on the wall near his head, followed by an irate woman shouting something to the effect that she was from Longford and they weren't beggars there. Another version has her saying 'there were more beggarwomen in Sligo than ever was in Longford.' Very soon afterward Coleman entered the studio to record his famous Tarboton Set ("Tarbolton Reel," "Longford Collector," "Sailor's Bonnet") at which time he made the name change. See also the related "Long Strand (1)."
Source for notated version: fiddler Tommy Potts (Ireland) [Breathnach]; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border) [Moylan]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].
Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ I'), 1963; No. 184, p. 72. Cotter (Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor), 1989; 26. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 126, p. 38. Lyth (Bowing Styles in Irish Fiddle Playing, vol. 1), 1981; 24. Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 14, p. 6. Moylan (Johnny O'Leary), 1994; No. 278, p. 159. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 22, p. 6. Sullivan (Session Tunes), vol. 2; No. 4, p. 3. Taylor (Through the Half-door), 1992; No. 44, p. 31. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, vol. 1), 1999; p. 23.
Recorded sources: Gael-Linn CEF 045, "Paddy Keenan" (1975). Great Meadow Music GMM 2018, Frank Ferrel & Joe Derrane - "Fiddledance" (2004). Leader LEA 2004, Martin Byrnes. Philo 2001, "Jean Carignan" (learned from a Michael Coleman recording). Shaskeen - "Shaskeen Live." Talcon Records KG240, Paddy Cronin - "The House in the Glen" (197?).
See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [3]
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