Annotation:Paddy's Trip to Scotland (2)

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PADDY’S TRIP TO SCOTLAND [2]. AKA and see “Queen of the Fairies (The).” Irish, Reel. Ireland, County Donegal. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. A popular reel in County Donegal. The original title was “Queen of the Fairies (The),” and stems from fiddler Simi Doherty (grandfather of source Mickey Doherty), who learned it one night while walking home from playing for a house-dance in Glendowan, Donegal. It was a dark and lonely night on the road, but after a while Simi saw ahead two small men, one holding a lamp while the other called sets for about a dozen dancers. He overheard the caller announcing a reel called “Banrion na Sioga” (The Queen of the Fairies), and hid in a ditch long enough to learn the tune--which became a favorite of his to play at dances.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Cranford (Jerry Holland’s Collection), 1995; No. 107, p. 31.

Recorded sources: Green Linnet SIF-1095, Altan - "Horse with a Heart" (1989. Learned from Donegal fiddler Mickey Doherty). Odyssey ORCS 1051, Jerry Holland – “Fiddler’s Choice” (1999).

See also listing at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index

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