Annotation:Cup of Tea (1) (The)
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CUP OF TEA [1], THE (An Cupán Tae). AKA and see "Unfortunate Cup of Tea," "Green Cup of Tea (The)," "Mayobridge." Irish, Reel. E Dorian ('A' part) & D Major ('B' and 'C' parts). Standard tuning (fiddle). ABB (Breathnach, Feldman & O'Doherty): ABC (O'Neill): ABBCC (Mitchell): AABBCC (Alewine, Mallinson, Miller & Perron): AABB'CC (Harker/Rafferty). "The Cup of Tea" has been a popular reel in Irish sessions for decades. As "Unfortunate Cup of Tea," a rather truncated version of the melody appears in P.M. Haverty's Three Hundred Irish Airs (New York, 1858-1859), although in modern times the title is usually simply "Cup of Tea" and the tune is greatly developed over the Haverty version. In northern Ireland parts of the tune are played AABBC.
Sources for notated versions: Belfast fiddler Seán McGuire (1927-2005) & accordion player Joe Burke [Miller & Perron]; piper Andy Conroy (Co. Roscommon, Ireland) [Breathnach]; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border), recorded in recital at Na Píobairí Uilleann, February, 1981 [Moylan]; piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, west Clare) [Mitchell]; "from the playing of James Kennedy, one of the famous fiddlers of the Irish Music Club of Chicago"-Kennedy learned the tune from his father, a celebrated local fiddler from Ballinamore, County Leitrim [O'Neill]; fiddler Simon Doherty (County Donegal) [Feldman & O'Doherty]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].
Printed sources: Alewine (Maid that Cut Off the Chicken's Lips), 1987; p. 14. Breathnach (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 278, p. 142. Feldman & O'Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1979; p. 104 (appears as "Untitled Reel"). Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 137, p. 41. Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 73, p. 31. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 1977; vol. 1, No. 36. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd Edition, 2006; p. 60. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 107, p. 92. Moylan (Johnny O'Leary), 1994; No. 68, p. 38. O'Neill (O'Neill's Irish Music), 1915; No. 262, p. 135. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 792, p. 137. O'Neill (1913), p. 135.
Recorded sources: Gennett 5451 (78 RPM), Michael Gallagher (uilleann pipes) {1924}. Starr 9567 (78 RPM), Michael Gallagher (uilleann pipes) {1924}.
See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1],
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2].