Annotation:Garrett Barry's Jig
X:1 T:Garrett Barry's (Jig) M:6/8 L:1/8 N:Garrett Barry was an uileann piper from West Clare in the early 20th century. K:Dmix |: DEF G2G | AGE c2c | dcA d2e | fed cAG | F2F GFG | AGE cde | dcA GEA |1 DED A,B,C :| 2 DED D3 || dcA d2e|fed (3efg e|dcA c2d|efd ecA| dcA d2e|fed (3efg e|dcA GEA|DED D3||
GARRETT BARRY{'S JIG} (Gearóid de Barra). AKA - "Garrett Barry's Favourite". AKA and see) "Ladies'/Lady's Fancy (6) (The)," "Tune the Fiddle." Irish, Double Jig (6/8 time). D Mixolydian/Major (Flaherty, Sullivan): D Mixolydian (Harker/Rafferty, Mallinson, Mitchell). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Flaherty, Mallinson, Sullivan): AA'BB (Mitchell): AABB' (Harker/Rafferty, Mitchell). Garrett Barry was an influential blind piper from Inagh, County Clare, born to the Irish-speaking community at the height of the Great Famine in 1847. Unfortunately, Barry was permanently blinded by malnutrition and famine sickness as a result of the famine, but he was given the opportunity to make his livelihood through music and undertook the uilleann pipes. He remained a piper until his death in 1899, and although died in the Ennistymon Poor House, he was successful in supporting himself for his lifetime among the farming communities of West Clare. Pat Mitchell says his "memory is very much alive in the locality to the present day." In addition to the jig that bears his name, he is remembered in present day dance repertoire by "Garrett Barry's Mazurka" and "Garrett Barry's Reel," and he is associated with the tunes "I Buried My Wife and Danced On Top of Her" and "Humours of Glen (The)," all of which Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin points out are "still part of the vernacular folk tradition in Clare." There are two main versions of the tune played in modern sessions: the first (X:1) is in 'D' mixolydian, while the second (X:2) is a version popularized by fiddler Kevin Burke in the dorian mode. "Sergeant Early’s Jig" is a related melody. "Garret Barry's Hornpipe" is a the name given to the hornpipe pipe setting of "Garret Barry's Jig." "Split the Whisker (The new)" is a cognate version entered into the large mid-19th century music manuscript collection of County Cork cleric, uilleann piper and collector James Goodman. In addition, researcher Fr. John Quinn identifies several more tunes in this jig family, including "Sergeant Early’s Jig" (AKA "Sergeant Early's"), "Second Cousin (The)," "Mountain Road (3) (The)," and "Port an Achréidh," as well as "Moving Bog (7) (The)" in duple-time and slide (12/8) versions.
