Annotation:Corney is Coming
X:1 T:Corney is Coming M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel S:O'Neill - Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems (1907), No. 762 Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D c|Addc defd|cAGF EFGE|Dddc defa|gece fdec| Addc defd|cAGF EFGE|Dddc defa|gecd edd|| c|defg afdB|cdef gecA|defg agfa|gecd eddf| afdf afdf|gece gfge|defg abaf|gecd edd||
CORNEY IS COMING ("Tá Crotuir Ag Teacd" or "Tá Cornaí ag Teacht). AKA and see "Barrack Street Boys (The)," "Bride's to Bed (The)," "Brides Away," "British Naggon," "Cheese It," "Crawford's Reel (1)," "I Saw Her," "Kelly's Reel," "Knit the Pocky," "Lady MacIntosh's Reel (2)," "Merry Bits of Timber," "Miss Wilson," "My Love is in America (2)," "My Love is in the House (1)," "Packie Duignan's," "Shannon Breeze (2)," "Six Mile Bridge (1)," "Spinning Wheel," "Tom Fitzmaurice's Reel," "Will the Weaver." Irish, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Harker/Rafferty, O'Neill): AA'B (Breathnach, Mitchell): AABB (Taylor/Tweed). "Corney is Coming" is usually associated with uilleann pipers in modern times, sometimes called "The Honeymoon Reel." County Cork cleric and uilleann piper James_Goodman_ (1828-1896) gives the tune as "The Bride to Bed," "Bride's to Bed (The)" and "My Love is in America (2)" in his large mid-19th century music manuscript collection. Patrick Weston Joyce has it as "Brides Away" and "My Love is in the House" (there is another tune that goes by the latter title). Breathnach (1985) finds the tune was first printed by in Edinburgh by Robert Bremner as "Knit the Pocky" in his Collection of Scots Reels (c. 1757), while other latter 18th century Scottish publications gave it as "Lady MacIntosh's Reel (2)"[1].
According to Gearoid Ó hAllmhuráin, "Corney is Coming" is "an old West Clare tune" whose title is associated in local folklore with Cornelius O'Brien, a County Clare landlord who lived in Birchfield House outside Liscannor. O'Brien is chiefly remembered today as the builder of the famous O'Brien Tower near the Cliffs of Moher in 1837, an oft-photographed landmark. However, he also had a notorious reputation especially with women, leading to the warning "Corney is coming (so look to your daughters)." An alternate suggestion is that the title refers to itinerant 19th century fiddle master Corney Drew, in anticipation of his coming for a season of music and dance instruction. It was a favorite of uilleann piper and whistle player Willie Clancy, of Miltown Malbay. See also the related "New Road (The)" and "New Line."
Compare "Corney is Coming" with the possibly cognate Acadian reel "Reel à Delphine" that Peter Corfield (2024) says is found in old Acadian repertories in New Brunswick.
- ↑ It also was entered into Northumbrian musician William Vickers' large 1770 manuscript book under the "Lady MacIntosh's Reel" title.