Annotation:Women's Rock
X:1 T:Women's Rock T:Carraig na mBan M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel S:O’Neill – Music of Ireland (1903), No. 1550 Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G D | GBdg egdB| GBdg (3efg (dg) | eAcA eAcA | cdef gedB | GBdg egdB | GBdg (3efg (dB) | cdef gedc | BGAF G2 z2 || eg (3gfg bg (3gfg | dgfg (3efg (df) | eAcA fAcA | cdef gedB | dg (3gfg bg (3gfg | dgfg e2 (dB) | cdef gedc | BGAF G2 ||
WOMEN'S ROCK, THE (Carraig na m-Ban). AKA - "Rock of the Women." AKA and see "The Green Gates (1)." Irish, Reel (cut time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. There is a Carraig na Mban on the coast of County Waterford, but the name is found in other places in Ireland as well. There is a folk-tale collected by Sean Ó Heochaid in County Dongal that relates that a fishing crew cam upon an enchanted island and spied a beautiful woman sitting under a tree, knitting. She threw her ball of yarn into the boat and the crew attempted to cut it with an axe, although they did so only with great difficulty. When one of the crew took hold of it, it stuck to his hand, and the frightened mariners concluded they had narrowly missed being captured by a bean sídhe (fairy woman). Later, they returned to the spot where the island had been and found a large rock in its place, although one had not been there before. One of the crew jumped out upon it and spent some time standing on it, and it is still to be seen to this day.
