Annotation:George White's Favorite
Tune properties and standard notation
GEORGE WHITE'S FANCY/FAVORITE (Rogha Sheoirse de Faoite). AKA and see "Carrowcastle Lasses (The)," "George White's," "Lass of Carrowcastle (2) (The)." Irish, Reel. E Minor ('A' part) & G Major ('B' part). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune is attributed by more than one source (according to David Taylor {1992}) to the great Co. Mayo and New York fiddler John McGrath (1900-1955), who called it "Carrowcastle Lasses (The)," although this attribution is in doubt. George White was born in County Longford in the late 19th century and immigrated to the New York City area around the turn of the century. He taught music, wrote and composed in that city, although later relocated to Boston. Sometimes it is said White was a publican who so often requested "Carrowcastle Lasses" that it became associated with his name. This tune was famously recorded by south Sligo fiddler Paddy Sweeney {1894-1974} (who often partnered with Paddy Killoran) in New York in 1934. Piper Leo Rowsome recorded it under the title "George White's Favorite." Some see resemblances to the "Old Maids of Galway" family of tunes.
Sources for notated versions: Frank McCollam (Ballycastle, County Antrim) [Mulvihill]; accordion player Sonny Brogan (County Sligo/Dublin, Ireland) [Breathnach]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].
Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ I), 1963; No. 97, p. 42. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 105, p. 32. Miller & Perron (Traditional Irish Fiddle Music), 1977; vol. 1, No. 30. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd Edition, 2006; p. 73. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No, 19, p. 5 (appears as "George White's").
Recorded sources: Coleman Center CD CC004, Paddy Ryan & Jim Corry - "The Mountain Road" (1999. Various artists. "A Compilation of tunes popular in South Sligo"). Green Linnet Records SIF 1058, Matt Molloy & Sean Keane - "Contentment is Wealth" (1985).
See also listings at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [3]