Annotation:Nancy the Pride of the West
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NANCY THE PRIDE OF THE WEST. AKA and see "Éireann ní neosfainn cé hí (Ar)," "For Ireland I Won't Say Her Name (1)," "Melodious Little Lis of Bruff (The)." Irish, Air (3/4 time). F Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. "Dr. Petrie published the Kilkenny version of this air in his Ancient Music of Ireland (p. 99). The setting I give here from memory as I heard the old people of Limerick sing it in my young days, is different, and is more simple and more purely vocal. There is a beautiful song in Irish to this air, which I published set to the music in my Irish Music and Songs (p. 22)--Ar Eirinn ni 'neosainn ce hi (For Ireland I'd Not Tell Her Name). Sometimes the air is known by this name: and it is also often called 'Binn lisin aerach a Bhrogha' (The Melodious Little Lis of Bruff, Co. Limerick) from a song about that place" (Joyce).
"Nancy the Pride of the West" is also the name of a late 19th century song with a different melody, with lyrics by Alfred Percival Graves (1884). His tune (as published by Sam Henry, goes:
X:1 T:Nancy the Pride of the West [2] M:3/4 L:1/8 R:Air S:Alfred Percival Graves Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D BA|G2 FE DC|B,2 A>A Bc|B2B2 GF|E2F2 EC| B,C E2G2|F4 BA|G2 FE CB,|B,2 A>A Bc|B2B2 GF| E2F2 EC|B,C E2E2|E4 GA|B2 AG FE|c2 cd ec| B2B2 ed|c2 BG FG|E2E2 AG |F4 B,>C|E2 FE CB,| B,2 A>A Bc|B2B2 GF|E2F2 EC|B,C E2E2|E4||
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Songs), 1909; No. 410, p. 221.
Recorded sources:
See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]