Connie the Soldier
CONNIE THE SOLDIER (Crotuirim an Ceatarnac). AKA and see "Humors of Abbeyfeale," "Cripple with the Crutches." Irish, Double Jig. Ireland, Sligo. A Dorian ('A' part) & D Major ('B' part). Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'B (Flaherty): AABB (O'Neill/1850): AABB' (O'Neill/1001). See also "Aineen's Double," "Bacach na Cleithe," "Banish Misfortune (or Mary of Inistuick) [2]," "The Cherry Grove Jig," "Coffee and Tea [2]," "An Ghaoth Aniar Andeas," "Jimmy the Tailor," "Maire Inis Toire" (air) "The Southwest Wind."
The tune appears in Petrie's collection under the titles "Banish Misfortune or Mary of Inistuirk" ("Banish Misfortune [2]"), an air collected from a fiddler in London, and as the jig "The Bacagh of the Wattle" from Galway piper Paddy Connely, collected in 1840.
The tune was recorded by flute player John McKenna (1880-1947) and banjo player Michael Gaffney (d. 1972), both originally from County Leitrim, for Decca in 1934, following the slip jig "Dever the Dancer." McKenna and Gaffney were fast friends, remembers McKenna's daughter Catherine, who told Harry Bradshaw and Jackie Small that she could not remember a week that Gaffney was not in her father's house playing his banjo or rehearsing new numbers with the flutist for recordings, dances, weddings and other events they had booked.
Source for notated version: fiddler Johnny Henry (b. 1922, Cloonlairn, Doocastle, Co. Sligo) [Flaherty].
Printed source: Breathnach (CRÉ 1), 1963; No. 29. Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 145. O'Neill (O'Neill's Irish Music), 1915; No. 192, p. 104. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 794, p. 148. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 67, p. 27.
Recorded source: Decca Records, John McKenna & Michael Gaffney (1934).
X:2
T:Connie the Soldier
R:double jig
S:Paddy O'Sullivan (fiddle), Ardfert, Co. Kerry
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Dmix
D|EAA A2 d|cAG ~E2 D|DGG DEE|DGG GEG|
~A3 A2 d|cAG ~E2 D|EFG AGE|GED D2:|:e|
fed Adc|Add d2 e|fed edc|A2 A Ade|
~f3 efe|ded cAG|EFG AGE|EDD D2:||
X:1 T:Connie the Soldier S:78 RPM recording by flute player John McKenna Z:Transcribed by Frank Claudy M:6/8 L:1/8 K:D ~A3 ABd|cAG E2 D|EFG EFG|EAD (4GFED| ~A3 ABd|cAG EAd|cBc ABG|1 FDB D2 B:|2 FDc d3|| |:fed dcd|fed dcd|(4gfed efd|cAG ~A3| GAB efg|fed fed|cbc ABG|FDD D3:||