Annotation:Lady Dillon

Find traditional instrumental music


Back to Lady Dillon


X:1 T:Lady Dillon M:C L:1/8 R:Air C:Carolan B:Samuel, Anne & Peter Thompson – The Hibernian Muse B:(London, 1787, No. 96, p. 60) N:”A Collection of the most Favorite Compositions N:of Carolan the Celebrated Irish Bard” Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Dmin F2 DE F2F2|AGTFE F2F2|GAGC G2G2|{B}A2 FA B4| (A/B/c) Ac (B/c/d) Bd|AcAc BAGF|{F}E2 DC {E}D2 C=B,|C4 C4|| FGAB c2c2|d2 TcB B4|AB c2 BAGF|F2 GF E2 {A}G2|TG4 F2f2| efge fedc|{c}TB2 AB cBAG|{F}E2 CE AGTFE|F4 F4|| c'6 (b<a) (g<f)|(f<e)(f<d) (e<c)(f<e)|(f<d)(e<c) defg|ag z a b<ga<f| F>DE<C (b<g)(a<f)|(G<E)F<D d'<bc'<a|(B<G)(A<F) (g<e)(f<d)|c2Te2 f4|| M:6/8 L:1/8 cdc cAF|{e}f3 e2d|cdc cAF|B3 TA2G| (A/B/c) cdc|{a}b3 a2g|gag gec|f3 f3| abc' c'd'c'|efg gab|agf efg|c3 c3| AFc AFc|dBf dBb|{b}agf (e/f/g)e|f3 f3||



LADY DILLON. AKA - "Miss Dillon and Jigg," "Young Lady Dillon," "Rose Dillon." Irish, Air or Planxty (cut or whole time). F Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABCD. An air with and attached jig as the last part, composed by Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738). Despite Edward Bunting's calling the melody's dedicatee, Lady Dillon, by the christian name of Rose, she has been identified as Lady Frances Dillon, the daughter and heiress of Lord and Lady Dillon of Mannin. Her predecessor as Lady Dillon was Lady Bridget Burke, second daughter of the 9th Earl of Clanricard. Carolan composed tunes for members of both families. See also Carolan's composition for Lady Dillon's husband, Richard, "Lord Dillon."

Turlough O'Carolan



Further research [see O'Sullivan, 1958; Appendix to the 2001 edition, p. 347] finds an expanded version of the whole piece (i.e. an extra sixteen bars in the jig section) in the MacLean-Clephane manuscript. This is a harper's manuscript noted by a student of harper Cornelius Lyons, who knew O'Carolan personally. The title of the piece in the manuscript is "Miss Dillon of Loch Glen, Roscommon," which seems to confirm Carolan's dedicatee was Lord and Lady Dillon's daughter. Francis wed young and, unfortunately, died young, at the age of eighteen.


Additional notes
Source for notated version : - No source for Edward Bunting was given by Moloney (2000) or O’Sullivan (1925-1939), however, handwritten annotations to Bunting's 1809 edition indicate the tune was obtained from harper Charles Fanning[1].

Printed sources : - Clinton (Gems of Ireland: 200 Airs), 1841; No. 167, p. 85 (as "Rose Dillon"). Thompson (The Hibernian Muse; a Collection of Irish Airds, including the Most Favourite Compositions of O'Carolan, the Celebrated Irish Bard), 1786. O'Sullivan (Carolan: The Life, Times, and Music of an Irish Harper), 1958; No. 35, p. 121.






Back to Lady Dillon

0.00
(0 votes)



  1. Karen Loomis, "Edward Bunting’s Annotated Volumes of Irish Music: An Overlooked Treasure at the British Library", 2010, p. 18 [1]