Annotation:When Erin First Rose
X:1 T:When Erin First Rose M:6/8 L:1/8 R:Air Q:”Boldly” S:O’Neill – Music of Ireland (1903), No. 535 Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Gmin D | DGG G^FD | BAB c2c | dfd cBA | BGG FDC | DGG G^FD | BAB c2 =B/c/ | Dfd cBA | BGG G2 || d/d/ | dgg fdc | Bcd f2 f/f/ | Dfd c>BA | B>GG FDC | dgg fdc | Bcd f2 f | dfd cBA | BGG G2 ||
WHEN ERIN FIRST ROSE (Air eirig dop Eirinn an ceaduair). AKA and see "Bold Tenant Farmer (The)," "Fágamaíd Súd Mar Atá Sé," "If ever you marry," "Miss Casey (1)," "Rakes of Kildare," "Miss Casey (1)," "We will soon have a Devil of a Morning." Irish, Air (6/8 time, "boldly"). G Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. "When Erin First Rose" is the name of a song by Dr. William Drennan [1] (1754-1820), a hysician, poet and political thinker who was a founder of the United Irishmen. The song contains the first refernce in print to Ireland as "the Emerald Isle" and is generally credited to Drennan, although he himself is quoted as having heard it first used in a 1795 party song called "Erin, to her own Tune."
When Erin first rose from the dark-swelling flood,
God blessed the green island, he saw it was good.
The Emerald of Europe, it sparkled and shone
In the ring of this world, the most precious stone.
See also the jig setting, "Miss Casey (1)," contributed to the O'Neill collections by uilleann piper John Ennis.
