Annotation:Fingalians' Dance (The)
FINGALIANS' DANCE, THE. Irish, March? G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The tune, an identical setting to the one later printed by O'Neill, with variations was published in Burk Thumoth's Twelve English and Twelve Irish Airs (London, 1746), reprinted in London by the Thompson's in 1785 as part of Forty Eight English, Irish and Scotch Airs with Variations (1785, pp, 96-97) as "The Fin Galians Dance."
The name of the tune may have been taken from a poem called "The Fingallian Dance", written around 1650-1660. Fingallian was a language remnant found in Fingal (south of Dublin), Leinster, Ireland, Leinster, which was an off-shoot of Middle English, brought over with the Normans in the late 12th century. It has been extinct since the mid-19th century, but survives in two poems, including "The Fingallian Dance." Wikipedia [1] explains:
The poem most likely to have been composed by a native speaker of Fingallian is The Fingallian Dance, a brief, three-stanza poem written between about 1650 and 1660.[4] It is a mildly indecent poem about a man going to see dancers at a bullring (bull fighting was practised in 17th century Ireland). Although the poem is likely to have been standardised when written down, it gives a flavour of Fingallian, particularly forms like fat for "what" or fen for "when". Other words that need explanation are ame 'them' and plack-keet, 'part of a petticoat'.
The Fingallian Dance c.1650
On a day in the Spring,
As I went to bolring
to view the jolly Daunciers,
They did trip it so high
(Be me shole!) I did spee
six Cunts abateing Seav'n hairs
But wondering on 'ame,
Fat make 'em so tame,
Fen de catch at their plack-keet,
The maids of y-yore
Wou'd y-cree, and y-rore,
And make o foul rackeet.
But fire take 'ame,
They made me ashame,
and when I went home to me weef
And told her the chaunce
Of the Maids in the Daunce,
'Peace thy prateing', say'd shee, 'for dee Leef!'
