Annotation:Dr. McInnes's Farewell to South Uist
X: 1 T:Dr. McInnes's Farewell to South Uist R:Air M:3/4 L:1/8 Q:54 F:http://www.john-chambers.us/~jc/music/abc/mirror/kelticksong.ca/Dark_Island_The.abc K:Gmaj % Violin %%MIDI program 40 EG | "Am"A4 A2 | "Em"G4 G2 | "C"E3 D C2 | "G"D4 GA | B3 A G2 | "Em"B d3 G2 | "Am"B3 A G2 | "D"A4 E2| "Am"A4 A2 | "Em"G4 G2 | "C"E3 D C2 | "G"D4 GA | B3 D dB | "D"A3 D BA | "C"G6 | "G"G4 Bc || "G"d3 D D2 | B3 A G2 | "C"E3 C E2 | "G"D4 GA | B3 A G2 | "Em"B d3 GA | "Am"B3 A G2 | "D"A4 E2 | "Am"A4 A2 | "Em"G4 G2 | "C"E3 D C2 | "G"D4 GA | B3 D dB | "D"A3 D BA | "C"G6 | "G"G6 ||
DR. McINNES'S FAREWELL TO SOUTH UIST. AKA and see "Dark Island," "Dark Isle," "Dr. MacKay's Farewell to Creagorry." Scottish, Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The tune's origins are somewhat murky. It is best known today as "Dark Island," a title it acquired when used as the theme song of the BBC thriller called the Dark Island (1963), filmed in Benbecula, Scotland. That version was copyrighted to David Silver (words) and Iain MacLachlan (music), however, there are other sets of words that have been written to the air by others, includingAlan Bell and Stewart Ross. Several stories exist regarding the tune, which has variously been described as "traditional" or credited to different composers, but all of which indicate that it predates the melodies use by the BBC. One story has it that it wascomposed by Benbecula accordion player MacLachlan (1927-1995) in 1958 with the title "Dr. MacKay’s Farewell to Creagorry", while another asserts it was composed byRoddy Macaulay for a doctor from Glasgow, Ian Mackay, who would come to Benbecula on holiday. Yet another attribution is toAllan MacCormack, the nephew of well known Benbecula piper Lachlan Ban MacCormack.
