Annotation:Miss Mahon's Hornpipe

Find traditional instrumental music

X:1 T:Miss Mahon's T:McMahon's T:Seán Ryan's Hornpipe (2) N:The title for the tune was commonly "Miss Mahon's" in the 1950's and 60's, but N:became "McMahon's" thorough a mondegreen or printer's error. R:Hornpipe Z:Transcribed by Lesl Harker. "What Lesl thinks Mike Rafferty played." M:4/4 L:1/8 K:G (3GFE|:DGBG cABG|DG (3Bcd gzga|bg~g2 dedB|cBAG (3FED BG| DGBG cABG|Dz (3Bcd g~g2a|bg~g2 dedB|1 cAFA Gz (3GFE:|2 cAFA G4|| ||:bg~g2 agef|g~g2d ed (3Bcd|eB~B2 egfd|edcB AGEz| DGBG cABG|DG (3Bcd gzga|bg~g2 dedB|1 cAFA Gzga:|2 cAFA G4||



McMAHON'S (HORNPIPE). AKA and see "Paddy O'Brien's," "Seán Ryan's Hornpipe (2)," "Trip to Vermont." AKA - "James McMahon's Hornpipe." Irish Hornpipe. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB'. It has been said that the tune was composed around 1960 by fiddler Seán Ryan as "McMahon's" and it does appear in Brian Ryan's collection of the compositions of his father, a volume entitled The Hidden Ireland. It appears in Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland, vol. 1) as "Seán Ryan's." However, in Cyril Maguire's collection called The Hidden Fermanagh (2003) it is attributed to County Fermanagh flute player James McMahon (and appears as "James McMahon's Hornpipe"). The tune, points out Cork musician Paul De Grae, sits well on the flute, and, suggests Paul, it is possible that in publishing the posthumous collection, it was among Seán's papers and was simply assumed to be an original. The "Trip to Vermont" title comes from a 1974 album by Seamus Cooley and fiddler Johnny McGreevey, while the "Paddy O'Brien's" title is from a 1958 field recording of accordion player Jimmy Hogan made by Peter Kennedy.

Additional notes

Source for notated version: - New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Printed sources : - Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 264, p. 81. Jordan (Whistle and Sing), 1975; 62.

Recorded sources: -Larraga MOR 1302, Mike Rafferty - "Speed 78" (2004).

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]
Hear the tune played by John Christie, Frank Wisenor, Seamus Richmond with Fr. Lyons at the Comhaltas Archive [3]



Back to Miss Mahon's Hornpipe