Annotation:Ships in Full Sail

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SHIPS IN FULL SAIL. AKA - "Ship in Full Sail (2)." AKA and see "Arigna's Green Vale," “Big Ship Come Over the Bay (The),” “Bouchaleen Buidhe (The),” "Emile LeBlanc's "Ships in Full Sail"," "Full Rigged Ship (3)," “Kitty's Wedding (2),” “Maidens of Tir Eoghain (The),” “McArdle's Fancy,” “Off to Donnybrook,” “Out on the Ocean (2),” “Paddy the Dandy (1),” “Pride of Leinster (The),” "Prize Jig (The)," "Ship on the Ocean (The)," “Three Little Drummers (2).” Irish, Double Jig (6/8 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Harker/Rafferty, Mallinson, McNulty, Sullivan, Taylor): AABBCC (Flaherty, Tubridy): AABB’CC’ (Songer). Bernard Flaherty (1990) remarks that the tune was always played as a two part tune in County Sligo, until recent times when the three-part version, known throughout Ireland, took hold. Russell (1989) printed the following lyrics to the tune:

The bright sun is shining
The blue skies are pining
For want of some clouds or some ornamentation
The heather’s a-blazing
The cows are a-grazing
And sitting in the hills over Loughlintown Bay.

They’re out in the ocean
The ships are in motion
From Killybegs harbour right down to Kinsale.
Down in the harbour
The crowds they have gathered To watch the wind blowing the ships in full sail.

Sligo-born fiddler James Morrison (Bronx, NY) recorded the tune in New York in 1924 as "Kitty's Wedding (2)" in the key of 'A'."

Additional notes
Source for notated version : - flute player James Murray (b. 1947, Ougham outside Tubbercurry, County Sligo) [Flaherty]; set dance music recorded live at Na Píobairí Uilleann, mid-1980’s [Taylor]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Printed sources : - Corfield (Tunes from New Brunswick), 2024; p. 154 (as "Emile LeBlanc's "Ships in Full Sail""), Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 173. Giblin (Collection of Traditional Irish Dance Music), 1928; 92. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 196, p. 61. Jordan (Whistle and Sing), 1975; 72. Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 96, p. 42. McNulty (Dance Music of Ireland), 1965; p. 21. Russell (The Piper’s Chair), 1989; p. 13. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 109. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; p. 183. Sullivan (Session Tunes, vol. 2); No. 32, p. 13. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Yellow Book), 1995; p. 22. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Blue Book), 1995; p. 9. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, Book Two), 1999; p. 37.

Recorded sources : - Bell S-24-B (78 RPM), Patrick J. Scanlon (1919. 1st tune of "Irish Jigs"). Shanachie 79018, De Dannann - “Star Spangled Molly” (1981. Appears as “Kitty’s Wedding”). Shanachie 79064, Matt Molloy – “Heathery Breeze” (1999). Temple Records TP021, The Battlefield Band - "On the Rise" (1986).

See also listing at :
Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]
Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Ng’s Irishtune.info [3]

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