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Annotation:Hunter Billy's
X:1 T:Hunter Billy's (Reel) M:C L:1/8 R:Reel S:Rev. Luke Donnellan – “Oriel Songs and Dances", S:Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society (vol. II, No. 2, 1909; No. 76) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Amin f|eA (3cBA Bcdf|e2 fd edBd|eA (3cBA Bcde|d2 ed Bcde| eA (3cBA Bcdf|e2 fd edBd|g2 ge f2 fe|d2 ed Bcdf|| eaaf eaaf|e2 fd edBd|efgf efgf|d2 ed Bcde| eaaf eaaf|e2 fd edBd|g2 ge f2 fe|d2 ed Bcdf||
HUNTER BILLY'S [REEL]. Irish, Reel. A Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The reel was collected in the Slieve Gullion region of south County Armagh by the Rev. Luke Donnellan (1878-1952), a rector at Dromintee, who published a collection of over 100 tunes, mostly reels, in 1909 in an article entitled "Oriel Songs and Dances" in The Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society (vol. II, No. 2). Oriel [1] (now Oirialla), or Airgíalla, and Anglicizations, Oriel, Uriel, Orgiall, or Orgialla, was the name of an ancient Irish federation or kingdom largely in what is now the County Armagh, in the north of Ireland. Donnellan was enthusiastic about P.W. Joyce's then recently published Old Irish Music and Songs (1909), but found Irish music rather rare in his area.
The old people of Dromintee will tell you of the number and the skill of musicians who used to come to [nearby] Forkhill fair. I was told there used to be as many as thirty playing at it. They display an extensive knowledge of the names of songs and dance tunes, but cannot sing them. The reel known as “Black Haired Lass (2) (The)” No. 66 inf., seems to have been a great favourite with everyone. These facts point to a vanishing and disappearing musical culture.
Forkhill Fair, held on Michaelmas Day (Sept. 29th) was once the great horse and cattle fair, and festival of the area (St. Michael is the patron saint of horsemen).
The tune title was included in the tune list of piper Philip Goodman (c. 1831-1908), Carrickmacross, Ireland, who is variously described as "the last professional and traditional piper in Farney, Louth", and also recorded as having been from Donaghmoyne, County Monaghan (all of which are places from the same area, and contiguous to Donnellan's Oriel region). Goodman brought his list to the Feis Ceoil in Belfast in 1898 (Breathnach, 1997).
Donnellan researcher Gerry O'Connor notes similarity of "Hunter Billy's Reel" with "Old Silver Spear," and Donnellan's reel is distanced but cognate member in both strains.
