Annotation:Malloy's Favorite

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MALLOY'S FAVORITE (Rogha Uí Mhaolmhuaidh). AKA and see "Mulloy's Reel," "Molloy's Favourite (2)." Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCC. Breathnach (1985) transcribed Michael Coleman's setting from a privately made 1940 recording reissued by Shanachie (see below) and noted that the tune is related to "Colonel Fraser," one of a family of tunes that includes "Green Fields of Ireland." The tune was first recorded for Columbia as "Dowd's Favorite" by Co. Longford fiddler James (Jim) Clark (1887-1938) in December, 1935. That name is usually associated with a different tune recorded by Michael Coleman, but may indicate that Clark was crediting the Sligo fiddler John O'Dowd, one of Coleman's mentors, as the source. Longford/New York fiddler Paddy Reynolds (1920-2005) gave the name to New York musician Don Meade as "Col. Fraser's Maggot."

Donegal fiddler John Doherty's two-part version (which skips the Clark/Coleman version's first part), was published under the mistaken name "The Cameronian Reel" in The Northern Fiddler. "Mother's Delight," another reel first recorded by Jim Clark, has a part very similar to the third part of "Malloy's Favorite" (albeit in a different key), which has led to some degree of confusion and some use of the "Mother's Delight" name for the other tune as well.

Source for notated version: fiddler Michael Coleman (1891-1945, County Sligo, Ireland/New York) [Breathnach]; fiddler John Doherty (1900-1980, County Donegal) [Feldman and O'Doherty].

Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ III), 1985; No. 148, p. 69. Feldman & O'Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1979; p. 67 (two parts only, misidentified as "Cameronian Reel").

Recorded sources: Columbia 33547-F (78 RPM), James Clark (1935, as "Dowd's Favorite") - reissued on The Fiddler's Delight, Oldtime Records OTR 107 (CD), 2016. Shanachie Records 330006 (LP), The Classic Recordings of Michael Coleman, as "Malloy's Favorite" (1979).