Annotation:Black Rogue (1)

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BLACK ROGUE [1], THE (An Rógaire dub/dubh)). AKA and see "Bunch of Green Rushes (2) (The)," "Bark is on the Swelling Shore (The)" "Before I Was Married (2)," "Billy O'Rourke's Jig (1)," "Black Joke (2) (The)," "Come Under My Plaidie," "Donnybrook Fair," "God Bless the Grey Mountain," "Humors of Donnybrook Fair," "Inishowen," "Irish Lady (2) (The)," "Irish Lass (2)," "Johnny McGill/Johnnie MacGill," "Life is all Chequered," "Michael Malloy/Molloy/Mulloy," "Miss Thornton's Jig," "My Silly Auld Man," "Nature and Melody," "O Pleasant was the Moon," "Paddy McNicholas'," "Sack of Potatoes (The)," "Shane Glas/Shaun Glas," "Sublime Was the Warning," "Shandrum Boggoon," "This Life is All Chequered," "'Tis a bit of a thing," "What sounds can compare." Irish, Double Jig (6/8 time). G Major (Levey, O'Neill): D Mixolydian (Shields/Goodman): D Major (Taylor). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The provenance for the tune is unclear as it is claimed by both Irish and Scots, but it is widely known throughout Ireland. The "Black Rogue" title for the melody is derived from a old song still sung in Irish to the tune. According to Caoimhin Mac Aoidh, the tune has folklore associations with the Devil^[1]. It has been said to have been composed by Girvan Ayrshire, Scotland, musician Johnny McGill (born c. 1707, whose name is attached to Scottish versions), and indeed, "Johnny McGill" can be thought of as a modal version of "Black Rogue." See also Robert Riddell's of Glenriddell (Dumfriesshire) version "My Silly Auld Man

."

The melody was included three times in the music manuscripts of Church of Ireland cleric James Goodman (1828-1896). Goodman was an Irish speaker and uilleann piper who collected in tradition in County Cork and elsewhere in Munster, and who also gleaned tunes from other musicians' manuscripts and printed sources. See also Goodman's "Billy O'Rourke" and "Droichead Loch Gearr

." O'Neill's setting is essentially the same as that given by late 18th/early 19th century piper O'Farrell, who included many Scottish melodies in his collection of Irish tunes. An early recording of the jig was by John Sheridan and his Boys on 78 RPM disc in 1928, and the jig was a great favorite of Donegal fiddlers Mickey and John Doherty. Compare this tune with "Paddy the Weaver

" in O'Neill's Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody (1922, No. 134).

"Black Rogue" was in the repertoire of Cape Breton fiddler Bill Lamey, whose playing of it at Cape Breton dances in Boston was remembered by a young Jerry Holland. Lamey may have picked it up from Irish sources, such as Leitrim flute player John McKenna's influential 78 RPM recording.

Additional notes
Source for notated version : - set dance music recorded live at Na Píobairí Uilleann, mid-1980's [Taylor]; flute player Sonny McDonagh (b. 1926, Rinnarogue, Bunninadden, Co Sligo, Ireland) [Flaherty]; fiddlers Francie and Mickey Byrne (County Donegal) [Feldman & O'Doherty]; James Goodman (1828-1896) [Shields]; John Doherty (County Donegal) [Mac Aoidh/Fiddler Magazine].

Printed sources : - Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland, vol. 2), 1974; No. 35. Cranford (Jerry Holland: The Second Collection), 2000; No. 266, p. 96 (appears as "An Rógaire Dubh"). Feldman & O'Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1979; p. 160a (appears as untitled jig). Fiddler Magazine, vol. 20, No. 4, Winter 2013-14; p. 37. Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 121. Giblin (Collection of Traditional Irish Dance Music), 1928; p. 99. Levey (Dance Music of Ireland, 2nd Collection), 1873; No. 13, p. 6. McDermott (Allan's Irish Fiddler), c. 1920's; p. 33. O'Brien (Jerry O'Brien's Accordion Instructor), Boston, 1949. O'Farrell (National Irish Music for the Union Pipes), 1804; p. 40 (appears as "Rogue Erra Duff. The Black Rogue"). O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1979; No. 915, p. 170. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1986; No. 302, p. 65. Russell (The Piper's Chair), 1989; p. 28. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; pp. 81 & 103. Shields/Goodman (Tunes of the Munster Pipers), 1998; No. 368, p. 146. Stanford/Petrie (Complete Collection), 1905; No. 1265. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Yellow Book), 1995; p. 27. Treoir, vol. 44, Number 2, 2011, p. 26.

Recorded sources : - 3 SCONES 2008, Dermy Diamond, Tara Diamond, Dáithí Sproule - "Seanchairde/Old Friends" (2009). Capelhouse Records, James Kelly - "Traditional Irish Music" (1996). Shanachie 79093, Paddy Glackin and Robbie Hannon - "Whirlwind" (1995. Learned from Donegal fiddler John Doherty). Wild Asparagus 007, Wild Asparagus - "Live at the Guiding Star Grange" (2009). Jerry Holland - "Crystal Clear" (2000).

See also listing at :
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [3]

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↑ Caoimhi Mac Aoidh, "The Blood Red Tear", Fiddler Magazine, vol. 20, No. 4, Winter 2013-14; p. 37.

[1] Caoimhi Mac Aoidh, "The Blood Red Tear", Fiddler Magazine, vol. 20, No. 4, Winter 2013-14; p. 37.

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