Annotation:Merry Thatcher (The)

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MERRY THATCHER, THE (An Tuíodóir Aerach). AKA and see "Cavan Reel (4)," "Miss Kelly's Favourite," "New Potatoes (The)," "Through the Heather." Irish, Reel. E Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Not the same as the "Merry Thatcher" in CRÉ II. See also the cognate first strain of "Handsome Sally (1)," while "Handsome Sally (3)" also presents some similarities. In fact there are a large number of tunes that have more or less resemblance between each other in the first strain, including "Autumn Leaves," "Day I Met Tom Moylan (The)," "Ginley's Fancy," "Ivy Leaf (4)," "Man of the House (The)," "Mind My Border," "Mind My Brother," "Old Tom," "Paddy Carthy's Reel (2)," and "Sally Grant," among others.

Source for notated version: from the Jack Wade (County Monaghan) collection, c. 1960's, with the note "The above reel was a favourite of Arthur Kelly, flute player, from Ring Common, Co. Dublin. Kelly is about 40 years dead and was a food friend of Jimmy Ennis, Naul, Co. Dublin, present Séamus Ennis's father" [Breathnach].

Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ IV), 1996; No. 134, p. 66.

Recorded sources:

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]

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