Annotation:O'Rourke's

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X:1 T:O'Rourke's M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Amix ed | c(Ae)A f(Ae)A | (c/B/A)e(c d)fed | cA3~ fd3~ | f(ag)e d2 ed | c(Ae)A fAeA | cAec dfed | cA3~ fd3~ | fage d2 || ef | ~g2 fg e2 ef | gfed ea3~ | gefd edBd | fage d2 ef | g2 fg e2 ef | gfed ea3~ | bgaf gfed | eaag aged ||

O'ROURKE'S. AKA - "O'Rourke's Wild Irishman." AKA and see "Wild Irishman (7) (The)." Irish, Reel. A Mixolydian/D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Moylan): AAB (Flaherty, Mallinson, Mulvihill). The tonality appears to vary between the two keys. The tune has an odd history. When County Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman famously recorded the tune in New York for a Decca 78 RPM in 1936 the label was issued as "O'Rourke's/Wild Irishman" which was actually the reverse of the set of tunes Coleman played. To further the confusion, the first tune of the set ("O'Rourke's") does bear a distant resemblance to a northern tune called "Wild Irishman," published in the periodical Treoir (vol. 4 No. 1). In the modern tradition the misnamed "O'Rourke's" title for the reel has been retained. See also the more-or-less related "Push About the Jorum," "Sligo Chorus (The)," and "Westport Chorus." Anthony Buffery notes similarities with "Captain Byng," "Brosna Polka No. 3," "Mrs. Ryan's," "Stool of Repentance (The)" (slide), "Templeglantine Reel (1) (The)/Pope's Toe," "Maids of Mitchelstown (The)," "My Love is in the House (1)," and "Silver Slipper (The)." "They are all different settings but recognizably derived from the same root tune," states Anthony. In uilleann pipe repertory the tune is played in the key of 'D'.

Additional notes

Sources for notated versions: - fiddler Michael Lennihan (b. 1917, Kilnamanagh, in the Frenchpark area of County Roscommon) [Flaherty]; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border), recorded at Na Piobairi Uilleann, October, 1984 [Moylan]; Michael Coleman (1891-1945, Co. Sligo/New York) [Mulvihill].

Printed sources : - Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland, vol. 1), 1974; No. 5. Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 90. Lyth (Bowing Styles in Irish Fiddle Playing, vol. 1), 1981; 49. Mallinson (100 Enduring), 1995; No. 14, p. 6. Miller & Perron (Traditional Irish Fiddle Music), 1977; vol. 3, No. 48. Moylan (Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra), 1994; No. 156, p. 90. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 107, p. 28.

Recorded sources: -Capelhouse Records, James Kelly - "Traditional Irish Music" (1996. Appears as "Wild Irishman"). Compass 7 4287 2, Cathal McConnell - "Long Expectant Comes at Last" (2000. Learned from the Coleman 78 RPM). Decca 12080 (78 RPM), Michael Coleman (1936). Intrepid Records, Michael Coleman. Green Linnett SIF1035, Brian Conway & Tony De Marco - "The Apple in Winter" (1981). Green Linnett GLCD 1087, Seamus Connolly - "Notes From My Mind" (1988). "Michael Coleman 1891-1945."

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]
Hear Brian Conway and Tony DeMarco play the tune on youtube.com [3]
Hear Michael Coleman's 1936 recording at the Internet Archive [4] [5]

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