Annotation:Butterfly (3) (The)
X:1 T:The Butterfly [3] L:1/8 M:9/8 K:Emin |:B2E G2E F3 |B2E G2E FED | B2E G2E FGA | B2d d2B AFA:| |:B2d e2f g3|B2d g2e dBA | B2d e2f g2a | b2a g2e dBA:| |:B3 B2A G2A | B3 BAB dBA | B3 B2A G2A | B2d g2e dBA :||
BUTTERFLY [3], THE. AKA and see "Óró a thaidhg a ghrá," "Red Admiral Butterfly (The)," "Skin the Peeler(s)." Irish, Slip Jig (9/8 time). E Minor/Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCC. Composition of the "The Butterfly" is credited to fiddler Tommy Potts (1912-1988), who knew the first two parts of the tune from his father, John, an Uilleann piper (Chieftains member Sean Potts is Tommy's nephew). The earlier two-part version of the tune appears in Cole's 1000 and Frank Roche's Collection of Traditional Irish Music vol. 2 (1912) as "Skin the Peeler" and "Barney's Goat"), and the tune is known by the latter title by Highland bagpipers. "Barney's Goat" resembles the second and third parts of the slip jig. Caoimhin Mac Aoidh gives that Potts was working in his garden one day when he noticed the erratic flight of a butterfly flitting about. Intrigued, Potts tried to mimic the rhythm of the insect while he continued to work in the garden, and was inspired to come up with a third part for the tune. The two existing parts were altered rhythmically to fit. It was once a frequently heard tune at sessions, but overplaying has made it unpalatable to many.
"Óró a thaidhg a ghrá" and "Stoneybatter (1)" are related tunes. See also the similer, perhaps cognate, "Bob and Jones" from County Leitrim musician Stephen Grier.
