Annotation:Old Blackthorn (The)

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OLD BLACKTHORN, THE (An Sean-draighneán). AKA - "Real Blackthorn Stick (The)." AKA and see "Blackthorn Stick (4) (The)," "Brightest Eyes," "Clear the Road," "Countess of Louden's Reel," "Inch of Garth," "Irishman's Blackthorn Stick (The)," "Jolly Clam-diggers (1) (The)," "Rising of the Sun (The)," "Rising Sun (2) (The)," "Strone Johnny (1)." Irish, Reel. Ireland; County Sligo, west Kerry. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Breathnach): AA'BB' (Moylan). A version of "The Rising Sun" family of tunes, albeit with a different second strain. O'Neill (1903) printed sets under the titles "Rising Sun (2) (The)"

and "Jolly Clam-diggers (1) (The)"

, by which titles it earlier appeared in Ryan's Mammoth Collection (1883), along with an additional set called "Brightest Eyes"

. Scottish versions can be found as "Countess of Louden's Reel"

and "Inch of Garth"

.

The tune is listed as "The Real Blackthorn Stick" on the label of County Sligo/New York fiddler Michael Coleman's 1924 recording, made in New York for the M. & C. New Republic Irish Recording Company. The label was founded in 1921 by Peter McGettrick and James Clinton. It sported a green, white and gold flag-draped sunrise label decorated with shamrocks and advertised itself as the first all-Ireland record company to have marketed Irish records.

Additional notes
Source for notated version : - fiddler Tommy Potts (Ireland) [Breathnach]; fiddler Fred Finn, 1919-1986 (Kiltycreen, Kilavil, Co. Sligo) [Flaherty]; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border), recorded at Na Píobairí Uilleann, October, 1984 [Moylan]; Michael Coleman (County Sligo/New York) [Mac Aoidh/Fiddler Magazine].

Printed sources : - Breathnach (Ceol Rince na hÉireann vol. I), 1963; No. 136, p. 55. Fiddler Magazine, vol. 23, No. 1, Spring 2016; p. 35. Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 81. Lyth (Bowing Styles in Irish Fiddle Playing, vol. 1), 1981; 49. Moylan (Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra), 1994; No. 155, p. 90. Prior (Fionn Seisiún 3), 2007; p. 9. Treoir, vol. 31, No. 4, 1999; p. 24a

Recorded sources : - Coleman Music Center CHC 009, Jackie Coleman & Andy Davey - "The Coleman Archive, vol. 2: The Home Place" (2005. Various artists). Viva Voce VV004, "Michael Coleman 1891-1945." New Republic Records (78 RPM), Michael Coleman (1924).

See also listing at :
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
Hear Michael Coleman's 1924 recording at youtube.com [2]

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