Annotation:Irish Billy

Back to Irish Billy

---

IRISH BILLY. AKA and see "Irish Footman (The)," "Jig Naboelish," "Naboclish," "Tary Lad's." Scotch, Jig. A Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The jig seems to have acquired some Irish associations, but is printed in Scottish publications. James Oswald printed it in 1760 as "Irish Footman (The)." Aird's title is perhaps a reference to King William of Orange. The tune was entered into the c. 1794 music manuscript copybook of New York flute player Micah Hawkins. As "Tary Lad's," a version appears in the large 1840 music manuscript collection of multi-instrumentalist John Rook, of Waverton, near Wigton, Cumbria.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Aird (Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 1), 1782; No. 58, p. 21.

Recorded sources:

---