Annotation:Sweets of May (The)
X: 1 T: The Sweets Of May M: 6/8 L: 1/8 K: G d3c3|:BcB ABA|G2G G2A|B2G GAB|c3 d2c| BcB ABA|G2G G2A|B2B ABA|1 G3 d2c:|2 G3 G2z || |:ABA A2G|E2F G3|ABA c2d|e2d c2B| ABA A2G|E2F G2G|A2A BAG|1 A3 A2B :|2 A3B2c|| |:d2zd2z|DED DED|c2z c2z|DED DED| G2D G2A|B2G B2c|ded cBA|1G3 B2c:|2G3d2c |]
SWEETS OF MAY, THE (Aoibhneas na Bealtaine). AKA and see "Follow Me Down to Carlow (2)." Irish, Set Dance (6/8 time). D Major (Keegan, Sullivan): G Major (Mulvihill, Tubridy). Standard tuning (fiddle). ABC (Mulvihill): AA'BB'CC' (Sullivan, Tubridy). The song "Follow Me Up to Carlow," uses the first two parts of the tune. The Sweets of May set-dance is danced primarily in northern Ireland; some say it is traditional to County Armagh. South Armagh fiddler Josephine Keegan (2002) prints dance instructions along with the music for two versions: an ‘older’ one and a more recent melody.