Annotation:Mourne Mountains (1)
X:1 T:Mourne Mountains [1] M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel S:O'Neill - Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems (1907), No. 477 Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:G BGGA G2 ED|EAAB A2 GE|DEGA BABd|(3efg dB cBAG| BGGA G2 ED|EAAB A2 GE|DEGA BABd|(3efg dc BG G2|| dgga g2 ed|eaab a2 ge|dega bagf|(3efg (3dcB cBAc| dgga g2 ed|eaab a2 ge|dega bagf|(3gfe dc BG G2||
MOURNE MOUNTAINS [1] (Sliebte Mugdorna). AKA and see "Bascadh Thomáis Mhic a' Bháird," "Long Hills of Mourne (2) (The)," "Peggy is your head sick?" "Purty Girl (The)," "Tom Ward's Downfall," "Reel (97)." Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (O'Neill/1850 & 1001): AA'BB' (O'Neill/1915). The Mourne Mountains [1] are the highest range in Ulster, located in County Down. George Petrie (1790-1866) collected a version of the tune as "Peggy is your head sick?" and entered the note: "a county of Louth song--also played as a dance and called 'The Long Hills of Mourne.'" The tune has currency among Cape Breton fiddlers, stemming from Winston Fitzgerald's and Johnny Wilmot's recordings of it on 78 RPM discs, and it has been frequently recorded. Cape Breton fiddler Lee Cremo recorded it as "O'Leary's Reel," and a version was entered as an untitled reel into the c. 1883 collection of County Leitrim fiddler and piper biography:Stephen Grier (c. 1824-1894) (for which see "Reel (97)"). See note for "Annotation:Tom Ward's Downfall."
The reel was recorded in 1929 by accordion player Peter "P.J." Conlon, the 2nd tune in a medley named "The Fiddler's Delight."
