Annotation:Killarney Wonder (1)

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KILLARNEY WONDER SCHOTTISCHE [1]. AKA and see "Finnea Lasses," "Last Night's Fun (1)." Irish; Schottische, Fling or Highland. A Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The town of Killarney can be found in west Kerry, southern Ireland, and its name means 'the cell among the sloe trees' (referring to a monastary or other religious site). "The Killarney Wonder" was recorded in New York in 1929 by fiddler Packie Dolan (1904-1932), born in Aghadowry, near Ballinamuck, County Longford. He proved to be a popular musician in New York expatriate Irish music circles and recorded a number of tunes with famed Sligo fiddler Micheal Coleman (1891-1945). Dolan tragically died at age 28 one week before he was due to return to Ireland to live. Coleman himself recorded the melody in New York in 1927, paired with (and following) "Farrell O'Grara's Schottische." Donegal fiddler Hughie Gillespie recorded it on 78 RPM in New York as "Finnea Lasses."

Source for notated version: Paddy Ryan [Treoir].

Printed sources: Miller & Perron (Traditional Irish Fiddle Music), 1977; vol. 3, No. 2. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd Edition, 2006; p. 151.

Recorded sources: Gae-Linn/Viva Voce CEFCD 161, "Michael Coleman 1891-1945" (1992. Reissue recordings). IRC Records, Michael Coleman.

See also listings at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Hear Packie Dolan's recording at the Comhaltas Archive [3]