Annotation:Captain Rock's (1)

Back to Captain Rock's (1)

CAPTAIN ROCK(E'S) [1]. AKA and see "Humors of Ballyconnell (1) (The)," "O'Neill's Maggot (1)." Irish, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABC. The title comes from a street song set to the air, which was also employed variously for the songs "Pratie Apples," "McKenna's Dream," "Under the Rose," "Grand Conversation of Napoleon (The)," "Napoleon's Farewell to Paris," "Bold Sportsman (The)," "Carpenter's March (The)" (although it should be noted that singers of songs often employed different melodies). Captain Rock is a fictitious name assumed by the leader of certain Irish insurgents in 1822, etc. All notices, summonses, and so on, were signed by this name. Tipperary was notorious for "Whiteboy" activities, as was most of Munster and much of Ulster, but groups were active to varying degrees, at different times, all over Ireland. The groups had various names: Rockites, led by "Captain Rock" (whom some say was a Fitzmaurice), Rightboys, "Captain Midnight", Molly Maguires, Houghers (who specialized in cutting the hamstrings/hocks of farm animals), The Duagh Boys, Whitefeet, Terry Alts, Hearts of Steel (Steelboys), Hearts of Oak (Oak Boys, active in Ulster), Greenboys, etc.). Fintan Vallely believes the tune is a version of Neil Stewart's "Duke of Athole's Rant (The)," published in 1761 in Scotland. Nowadays "Humours of Ballyconnell" is the name most frequently associated with the tune, popularized by the Boys of the Lough and others; however, the Ballyconnell title was originally only the local County Fermanagh title for the tune, which was usually known as "Captain Rock" [Boys of the Lough].

Source for notated version: fiddler Fred Finn (1919-1986, Kiltycreen, Kilavil, County Sligo, Ireland) [Flaherty].

Printed sources: Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 84 (appears as "Captain Rockes").

Recorded sources: Coleman Music Center CHC 009, fiddler Phil McConnan - "The Coleman Archive, vol. 2: The Home Place" (2005. Various artists).