Annotation:Miss Crawford (3)
X:1 T:Miss Crawford’s Reel T:Miss Crawford [3] M:C L:1/8 R:Reel S:Rev. Luke Donnellan – “Oriel Songs and Dances", S:Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society (vol. II, No. 2, 1909; No. 28) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Edor EFGA BABc|dABG FDDF|BddB FAAF|EBBA BEEF:| |:efge fgaf|efge fddf|edBA BAGF|EBBA BE E2:|]
MISS CRAWFORD [3]. AKA - "Miss Crawford's Reel." AKA and see "Considine's Grove." Irish, Reel. E Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The reel was collected in the Slieve Gullion region of south County Armagh and is contained in a manuscript collection in the possession of the biography:Rev. Luke Donnellan (1878-1952), a rector at Dromintee and a fiddler[1]. Donnellan published a selection of over 100 tunes, mostly reels, in 1909 in The Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society (vol. II, No. 2). Donnellan was enthusiastic about P.W. Joyce's then recently published Old Irish Music and Songs (1909), but found Irish music rather rare in his area.
The old people of Dromintee will tell you of the number and the skill of musicians who used to come to [nearby] Forkhill fair. I was told there used to be as many as thirty playing at it. They display an extensive knowledge of the names of songs and dance tunes, but cannot sing them. The reel known as “Black Haired Lass (2) (The)” No. 66 inf., seems to have been a great favourite with everyone. These facts point to a vanishing and disappearing musical culture.
Forkhill Fair, held on Michaelmas Day (Sept. 29th) was once the great horse and cattle fair, and festival of the area (St. Michael is the patron saint of horsemen).
The reel has some opening similarities to "Flag of Green (The)."
- ↑ Donnellan researcher Gerry O'Connor came to believe the ms. is not the work of the curate but rather was originally compiled by a unknown but able fiddler over the course of a playing lifetime, probably in the late 19th century. The ms. later came into the possession of Donnellan, who was also a fiddler.