Annotation:Brown Red (The)

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X:1 T:Brown Red, The M:C L:1/8 R:Reel B:Stephen Grier music manuscript collection (Book 2, c. 1883, No. 58, p. 12) B: http://grier.itma.ie/book-two#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=11&z=3.2868%2C569.8013%2C2941.1991%2C1028.881 N:Stephen Grier (c. 1824-1894) was a piper and fiddler from N:Newpark, Bohey, Gortletteragh, south Co. Leitrim. Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G DGGB AGGF|GBdB cABG|DGGB AGGB|c2 Bc AGFE| DGGB AGGF|GBdB cABG|DGGB AGGB|cd/c/ Bc/B/ AG G2|| Gg g2 bgfg|dgbg ageg|egdg Bgdg|edBG AG E2| Gg g2 bgfg|dgbg ageg|edcB cdef|gdBG AGEG||



BROWN RED, THE. AKA - "The Brown Rod." Irish, Reel (cut time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. "The Brown Red" was entered into two music manuscript collections of the latter 19th century: first, it is contained in the 1883 ms. collection of County Leitrim musician biography:Stephen Grier, and second in the c. 1909 ms. collection in the possession of biography:Rev. Luke Donnellan of south Ulster[1]. Researcher Conor Ward finds "Brown Red" to be a (distanced) member of the "Kiss the Maid Behind the Barrel" tune family, despite the different endings of each of the strains.

"Brown Red" = barnyard fowl? equine or bovine? human hair?


Additional notes
Source for notated version : - Rev. Luke Donnellan ms. collection (c. 1909, Oriel region, south Ulster) [O'Connor].

Printed sources : - Rev. Luke Donnellan, “Oriel Songs and Dances” (Journal of the County Louth Archeological Society, vol. II), No. 2, 1909; No. 45. Josephine Keegan (A Drop in the Ocean), 20?? (as "The Brown Rod"). Gerry O'Connor (The Rose in the Gap), 2018; No. 61, p. 49.






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  1. Donnellan researcher Gerry O'Connor came to believe the ms. is not the work of the curate but rather was originally compiled by an unknown but able fiddler over the course of a playing lifetime, probably in the late 19th century. The ms. later came into the possession of Donnellan, who was also a fiddler.