Annotation:Turfahun Barndance (The)
X: 1 T: Turfahun Barndance R: slide M: 12/8 L: 1/8 F: https://thesession.org/tunes/5055 K: Gmaj Bc|d2g e2 d BAB d2 B|A2 D ABc B2 A ABc| d2 g e2 d BAB d2 B|1 AGA B2 A G2 DG Bc|2 AGA B2 A G2 G g|| f2 d def gfg a2 g|f2 d ded c2 A A2 g| f2 d de f g fg a2 g|1 fg f e fe d2 A d g|2 fg f e fe d3 d2||
TURFAHUN BARNDANCE, THE. AKA and see "Cats in the Village," "Con Cassidy's Jig (2)," "Flying Boy (The)," "French Reaper (The)," "Garçon Volage Quadrille (1) (La)," "Jim Crow Quadrille (3)," "Lea Castle," "Nine Pins (1)," "Quadrille 2nd Set – La Poule," "Queen Victoria's Country Dance." Irish, Slide (12/8 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. While labelled a "barndance" in the title, its is actually a 12/8 time slide. The tune was collected by folklorist Sam Henry from the playing of John Elliot of Turfahun, Bushmills, Co. Antrim and was perhaps an untitled tune, the name being given from Mr. Elliot's home place. John Moulden found it among Sam Henry's manuscripts and brought it to light. Mr. Henry wrote [As quoted in thesession.org]: “Turfahun, in Gaelic, is Tir-fo-thon (t silent – pronounced exactly as the Townland is locally named). It means 'the land under waves,' an apt description of Ireland as seen from the shores of the Scottish Highlands. The homesick Highlanders who settled in Antrim actually named a district near the Causeway, “Lochaber,” after their own homeland...Turfahun and district is very rich in traditional folk music...Mr. John Elliot is one of several excellent traditional fiddlers in the district named.”
The tune belongs to a large family of tunes under various titles (with no particular one prominent) that were popular in Britain and Ireland from the mid-19th century, surviving into the 20th century (particularly as the first strain of "Dingle Regatta"). The melody was often used as a quadrille part, again, under various titles. Fr. John Quinn finds the tune cognate with the first two strains of "Dingle Regatta." The second strain of "Turfahun Barndance" has been identified as being shared with "Con Cassidy's Jig (2) (AKA "Lea Castle," "Sligo Quadrille No. 2".)
