Annotation:Scotch Mary (1)

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X:1 T:Untitled Reel T:Scotch Mary [1] M:C L:1/8 R:Reel S:James Goodman music manuscript, vol. 3, p. 182 (mid-19th cent., County Cork) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Ador c2E2 cded|c2E2G2G2|c2E2 cded|cABG A2A2| c2~E2c2~E2|c2~E2 G2G2|c2~E2 cded|cABG A2A2|| a2 ag efde|cdef g2e|a2 ag efde|cA BG A2A2| a2 ag efde|cdef g2z2|abga egde|cABG A2A2||

SCOTCH MARY [1] (Maire Albanac). AKA and see "Baile na Finne," “Dimen Dru Deelish/Drimin Dhu Dheelish,” “Fintown Reel,” "Irish Molly," “Knocknagow Reel,” "Limestone Road (The)," "Máire na Sop," “Mary o' the Wisp,” "My Love is Far Away," "Reel (67)." Irish, English; Reel. A Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Mulvihill, O'Neill/1850 & 1001, Sheilds/Goodman): AAB (Kennedy, Raven): AA'B (Carlin): AA'BB' (O'Neill/Krassen): ABC (Feldman & O’Doherty). A popular reel in County Donegal, where it is often rendered in A Mixolydian (especially the second part). A third part is also sometimes played in County Donegal (see abc below), although the two part version seems to prevail elsewhere. An early version of the melody in Ireland can be found in Church of Ireland cleric James Goodman’s mid-19th century music manuscripts (vol. 3, p. 182), as an untitled reel [another tune in his mss. was entered with the title "Scotch Mary (2)," but it is a different reel]. Goodman (1828-1896) was an uilleann piper, and an Irish speaker who collected locally in County Cork and elsewhere in Munster. He also obtained tunes from manuscripts and printed collections. The tune was entered as an untitled reel (see "Reel (67)" into Book 2 of the large c. 1883 music manuscript collection of County Leitrim fiddler and piper Stephen Grier (c. 1824-1894), but appears as "Scotch Mary" in the ms. collection in the possession of Oriel, Ulster, fiddler and curate Rev. Luke Donnellan^[1] (1878-1952, parts reversed from the way it is usually played today).

See also the D Mixolydian version called “Abbey Reel (The)” and a version in A Major/Mixolydian in the Ellis Knowles manuscript (c. 1847) from Lancashire where it appears under the title “Drowsy Maggie (3)." William Bradbury Ryan included a version in Ryan's Mammoth Collection (1883) as "Dimen Dru Deelish, about which Paul de Grae remarks: "[It is] presumably a garbled form of "Droim-fhionn Dubh Dileas," which is the title of an unrelated air (see, for example, O'Neill's Music of Ireland No. 130). Ryan has another, slightly less similar setting, "My Love is Far Away" (RMC 30), a title which appears in O'Neill's Dance Music of Ireland index." The melody was recorded (as “Knocknagow”) by the East Galway Ballinakill Ceilidhe Band in November, 1931, in London. "Scotch Mary" was recorded in 1920 early in the 78 RPM era played by the famous piper Patsy Touhey (1865-1923), in two-part form. The reel appears twice in the third book of the large mid-19th century music manuscript collection of County Cork cleric and uilleann piper Canon James Goodman.

Additional notes
Source for notated version : - Jim McElhone (County Derry) [Mulvihill]; fiddlers Francie and Mickey Byrne (County Donegal) [Feldman & O’Doherty]; piper Patsy Tuohey [Moylan]; the mid-19th century music manuscript collection of County Cork cleric and uilleann piper Rev. James Goodman [1] [Shields]; Rev. Luke Donnellan music manuscript collection (late 19th/early 20th cent., Oriel, Ulster) [O'Connor].

Printed sources : - Carlin (Master Collection of Dance Music for the Violin), 1984; No. 219, p. 128 (appears as "Baile na Finne"). Feldman & O’Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1979; p. 168. Kennedy (Fiddler's Tune-Book, vol. 2), 1954; p. 14. Moylan, An Píobaire, nos. 1–34. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 131, p. 35. O'Connor (The Rose in the Gap), 2018; No. 40, p. 41. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 153. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 1510, p. 279. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 729, p. 128. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; p. 178. Shields/Goodman (Tunes of the Munster Pipers), 1998; No. 482 (appears as untitled reel).

Recorded sources : - AVSA 9865, Jordi Savall - "The Celtic Viol" (2008). Claddagh CCF 31 John Doherty - “The Floating Bow.” Cló Iar-Chonnachta Records, CICD 148, Mick Conneely – “Selkie” (2001). Leader LEA 2004, Martin Byrnes (appears as “Irish Molly”). Topic TSCD 602, The Flanagan Brothers – “Irish Dance Music” (1995. A reissue of the 1925 original). Virgin VIR 44559, Altan - “Runaway Sunday” (A three part version learned from Donegal fiddler John Doherty).

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

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↑ 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.

[1] 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.

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