Annotation:Jackson's Frolic

Back to 

 JACKSON'S FROLIC. AKA and see "Donnybrook Boy," "Friendly Jack," "Kitty of Oulart," "Mulberry Bush (The)." Irish, Jig. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. This melody appears in Brysson's A Curious Selection of Favourite Tunes with Variations to which is appended "Fifty Favourite Irish Airs" (Ediburgh, 1790). James Aird published it in volume III of his Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs (1788). Breathnach (1996) finds the tune also under the alternate titles "Down the Banks" in Kerry, "Humors of Strand Road (The)" in Limerick, and "Making the Hay" or "Shake the Hay" in County Wexford. O'Neill (1922) remarks: "An anonymous variant of 'Jackson's Frolic' was memorized from the fluting of James Moore in Chicago some fifty years ago. Another version of the tune heard later differed so materially in the second part, that it was added as a third part to Moore's variant, and printed as 'Kitty of Oulart' in former O'Neill collections." The Jackson of the title refers to the 18th century Irish gentleman-composer Walker "Piper" Jackson, of the townland of Lisdaun, parish of Ballingarry, Aughrim, County Limerick. A great many tunes are popularly attributed to him, many with little or no evidence, and others in confusion with other musicians named Jackson. The melody is still part of the traditional musician's repertoire.  Source for notated version: Aird's Selections [O'Neill].  Printed sources: O'Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody), 1922; No. 130.  Recorded sources:

Back to