Annotation:Dromey's Fancy
Tune properties and standard notation
DROMEY'S FANCY. Irish, Jig. E Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB'. O'Neill (1922) remarks: "This catchy strain which is a superior variant of 'The Dancing Master' in O'Neill's Dance Music of Ireland was introduced to Chicagoans by John Dromey an excellent fluter, and amateur piper, whose name it bears. Mr. Dromey who is yet hale and hearty, was in his prime, a generation ago, the star of every Irish gathering, for as a traditional singer of Irish songs, he was unrivalled." The closely related tune "The Swallowtail"/"Swallow's Nest [1]" is perhaps the best-known member of this tune family at present.
Source for notated version: Patrick Stack (Chicago) [O'Neill]. Stack was a highly regarded fiddler who emigrated to Chicago in his early teens. He is the source for a number of tunes in the O'Neill collections. He paired with uilleann piper Edward Mullaney for several fine recordings.
Printed sources: O'Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody), 1922; No. 127.
Recorded sources: