Annotation:John Egan's Reel (1)
X:1 T:John Egan's Reel [1] M:C L:1/8 S:Treoir (2002) N:Transcribed by Paddy Ryan K:D ed |: =cA A2 GEDE | GBAF G3A | B2 AB GEDG | Bdd^c dfed :| |: =cdef g3e | a2 af g2 ed | =cdef g2 fg | afge dfed :| afge d2 |
JOHN EGAN'S (REEL) [1]. AKA and see "Maid that Left the Country (2)." Irish, Reel. D Mixolydian/G Major/A Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Paddy Ryan (Treoir, 2002) attributed the composition to flute player John Egan (1903-1989), originally from Ballintogher, County Sligo, who removed to Dublin and became one of the founders and regulars at Dublin's Church Street Club. He was highly influential in the music of that city in his lifetime. Brendan Breathnach previously published the reel in Ceol in 1963 (a version that was not republished by Breathanch in his Ceol Rince na hÉireann series of volumes), also from the playing of John Egan. Breathnach, however, did publish an untitled, slightly different version that he obtained from fiddler John Henry, like Egan, from County Sligo.
As Irish music researcher Fr. John Quinn points out, Ryan suggested "traditional" origins for the tune, remarking in Treoir that Egan learned "a lot of music from local musicians." However, Quinn finds, the reel approximates a relatively recent reel whose composition is claimed by Philadelphia, Pa., fiddler Ed Reavy (originally from County Cavan), whose title was "Charlie McDevitt's."
The tonality is a bit 'slippery', beginning in A dorian, then appearing to center around 'G', and resolving at the end of the first strain to 'D'.
