Annotation:Lord Galway's Lamentation

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LORD GALWAY'S LAMENTATION. AKA - "Gallaways Lament," "Lord Gallaway's Lamentation." Irish, Lament (3/4 time). D Dorian (Neal): G Minor (Holden). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Holden): AAB (Neal, Wright). The tune is attributed to blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738), although Donal O'Sullivan, in his definitive 1958 work on the bard could find no incontrovertable evidence of its origin. Stylistically, it mirrors Carolan's composition "Lament for Terence MacDonnough", however, the subject of the title is problematic. O'Sullivan finds no creditable person to have been the subject of a lament by Carolan, although he suggests that the title may refer to a composition by Lord Galway, and not in honor of him. Thus, the title may refer to Henry de Massue, made Earl of Galway in 1797, for his services to King William (at whose side he fought in the Battle of Aughrim). Henry was soundly defeated at the Battle of Almanza by the combined French and Spanish forces under the Duke of Berwick (which included an Irish Brigade).

Additional notes

Source for notated version: - John & William Neale's Collection of the Most Celebrated Irish Tunes (Dublin, c. 1726) [O'Sullivan].

Printed sources : - Complete Collection of Carolan's Irish Tunes, 1984; No. 208, p. 143. Smollet Holden (Collection of favourite Irish Airs), London, c. 1841; p. 39. Neale (A Collection of the Most Celebrated Irish Tunes), c. 1724; p. 2 (as "Lord Gallaway's Lamentation). O'Sullivan (Carolan: The Life, Times and Music of an Irish Harper), 1958, No. 208, p. 221. Oswald (Caledonian Pocket Companion, book 8) (appears as "Gallaways Lament"). Daniel Wright (Aria di Camera), London, 1727; No. 56 ("Lord Gallaway's Lamentation").

Recorded sources: -

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