Annotation:Corney is Coming
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CORNEY IS COMING ("Tá Crotuir Ag Teacd" or "Tá Cornaí ag Teacht). AKA and see "Barrack Street Boys (The)," "Bride to Bed (The)," "Brides Away," "British Naggon," "Cheese It," "Crawford's Reel (1)," "I Saw Her," "Kelly's Reel," "Knit the Pocky," "Merry Bits of Timber," "Miss Wilson," "My Love is in the House (1)," "Packie Duignan's," "Shannon Breeze (2)," "Six Mile Bridge," "Spinning Wheel," "Tom Fitzmaurice's Reel." Irish, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Harker/Rafferty, O'Neill): AA'B (Breathnach, Mitchell): AABB (Taylor/Tweed). "Corney is Coming" is usually associated with uilleann pipers in modern times, sometimes called "The Honeymoon Reel." Goodman gives the tune as "The Bride to Bed," "Brides to Bed" and "My Love is in America." Joyce has it as "Brides Away" and "My Love is in the House" (there is another tune that goes by the latter title). Breathnach (1985) says the tune was first printed by Robert Bremner as "Knit the Pocky" in his Collection of Scots Reels (1751-61). According to Gearoid Ó hAllmhuráin, "Corney is Coming" is "an old West Clare tune" whose title is associated in local folklore with Cornelius O'Brien, a County Clare landlord who lived in Birchfield House outside Liscannor. O'Brien is chiefly remembered today as the builder of the famous O'Brien Tower near the Cliffs of Moher in 1837, an oft-photographed landmark. However, he also had a notorious reputation especially with women, leading to the warning "Corney is coming (so look to your daughters)." An alternate suggestion is that the title refers to itinerant 19th century fiddle master Corney Drew, in anticipation of his coming for a season of music and dance instruction. It was a favorite of uilleann piper and whistle player Willie Clancy, of Miltown Malbay. See also the related "New Road."
Sources for notated versions: piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, West Clare, Ireland) [Breathnach, Mitchell]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].
Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ III), 1985; No. 173, p. 79. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 85, p. 27. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 8, p. 33. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 1548, p. 286. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 762, p. 133. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 56. Taylor (Traditional Irish Music: Karen Tweed's Irish Choice), 1994; p. 26.
Recorded sources: Celtic Crossings CD0299-02, Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin & Patrick Ourceau - "Tracin" (1999). Claddagh 4CC 32, Willie Clancy - "The Pipering of Willie Clancy, vol. 1" (1980). Green Linnet SIF 9011, Maeve Donnelly (et al) - "Playing with Fire." Maeve Donnelly - "Sailing into Walpole's Marsh."
See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources[1],
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]