Bobbing for Eels

 BOBBING FOR EELS. AKA and see "Bottle of Punch (The)," "Bowl of Punch (The)," "Butchers of Bristol (1) (The)," "Dairymaid (6) (The)," "Fishing for Eels," "Glens of Mayo (The)," "Humours of Milltown (2) (The)," "Ioc an Reicneail," "Jackson's Bottle/Jug of Punch/Brandy," "Jug of Punch (5) (The)," "Old Man's Jig (The)," "Pay the Reckoning." Irish, Jig. A Major (Cole, Ryan): G Major (Miller). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Credited, impropbably, to one C. Knowlton in Ryan's Mammoth Collection, though the tune can be found in older collections. Olive Sharkey, in her book Old Days Old Ways (O'Brien Press, 1985, pg. 170), talks about fishing in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and explains: Eels were caught illegally with longlines, but a more usual practice was to bait them with balls of worms, a practice called 'bobbing'. Printed sources: Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 76. Miller (Fiddler's Throne), 2004; No. 10, p. 19. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; p. 107.

X:1 T:Bobbing for Eels M:6/8 L:1/8 R:Jig S:Ryan's Mammoth Collection (1883) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:A {E/F/G/}A2a .e(cA) | {c}BAB dcB | {GA2a .e(cA) | {c}BAB cAE | {G}A2a .e(cA) | {c}BAB cde | (fa)f (ec)A |1 {c}BAB A2z :|2 {c}BAB A2 || faf efg | agf edc |1 {c}BAB A2 :|2 {c}BAB A2z ||
 * e | (ac')a (gb)g | (fa)f e(fg) | aga bc'd' | (c'd')c' (bg)e | (ac')a (gb)g |

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