Annotation:Sailor's Farewell (1) (The)

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X:1 T:Sailor's Farewell [1], The T:Rough Road, The C:Chris Droney R:reel Z:id:hn-reel-193 M:C| F:http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/mirror/atrilcoral.com/b.abc K:G DG~G2 DGBd|~g3d egdB|A2GB A2BA|GBAF GFEF| DG~G2 DGBd|g2gd egdB|G2 (3Bcd gedc|1 BGAF G2GE:|2 BGAF G2AB|| |:dggf gGBd|g2af gfed|eaag abag|e2ag edBc| dggf gGBd|g2af gedB|GA (3Bcd gedc|1 BGAF G2AB:|2 BGAF G2GE|| P:"Variations:" dG~G2 DG (3Bcd|g2dg egdB|~A3G AdBA|G2AG FAEA| dG~G2 DG (3Bcd|g2dg eBdB|GA (3Bcd gedc|BGAF ~G3B:| |:dggf gG (3Bcd|gbaf gfed|eaag abag|eaag edBc| dgga gdBd|g2af gedB|GA (3Bcd gedc|BGAF ~G3B:|

SAILOR'S FAREWELL [1], THE (Slán an Mhairnéalaigh). AKA and see "Doocastle," "Reynold's Reel," "Sailor's Return (2) (The)," "Mulhaire's Reel," “New Town Bridge,” "Rough Road (The)," "Joe Cooley's Reel (2)." Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Recorded by Martin Mulhaire on a 1958 Dublin label 78, on which it was titled "O'Brien's" after Paddy O'Brien of Tipperary. O'Brien's daughter Eileen published it in a collection of her father's compositions and settings, in which it is not credited to O'Brien but is titled "Paddy Reynolds'" after the Longford and New York fiddler. Reynolds never claimed it as a composition, according to New York musician Don Meade. It has been credited to north Clare concertina player Chris Droney, who recorded it as "The Bellharbour" on his Topic LP The Flowing Tide, but in correspondence with Meade, Droney wrote that he did not compose it. Accordionist Raymond Roland has also been proposed as the composer. Perhaps the earliest recording of the tune was a private one by Sligo fiddler Tom Cawley (as "Doocastle"), which was issued on a Coleman Archive compilation. Cawley emigrated in the 1920s to New York and later moved to Chicago, where he recorded some 78 rpm discs. It is unclear when this recording was made. Cawley's version was transcribed for the book of Sligo fiddle music compiled by Oisín Mac Diarmada and Dáithí Gormley.

Additional notes

Source for notated version: - from the whistling of Jimmie Ward, 1966 (Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare, Ireland) [Breathnach].

Printed sources : - Breathnach (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 146, p. 78. O'Brien, Eilleen, The Definitive Collection of the Music of Paddy O'Brien 1922-1991(as "Paddy Reynolds'"). Mac Diarmada, Oisín and Gormley, Dáithi, Fiddlers of Sligo - Tunebook, 2018.

Recorded sources: Coleman Music Centre CD, The Coleman Archive Vol 1 - The Living Tradition (as "Doocastle"). Dublin LP, The Leitrim Ceili Band, It's Irish Dance Time", c. 1960 (as "The Rough Road") Avoca LP, The Assaroe Ceili Band, c. 1965 (as "O'Brien's"). Dublin 78 rpm 110, 1958, Martin Mulhare (as "O'Brien's). Topic LP 12TFRS503, 1975 - Chris Droney, The Flowing Tide (as "Bellharbour Reel"). Flying Fish LP FF 70586 - Liz Carroll, Billy McComiskey and Dáithí Sproule, Trian, 1992 (as "New Town Bridge"). -

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
See Philippe Varlet's conclusions about the composer and first recordings at the IRTRA-L archives [2]