Annotation:Maid of Feakle (The)
X:1 T:Maid of Feakle, The M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel S:O'Neill - Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems (1907), No. 775 Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:G Bc|d2 BG AGEG|DGBG c2 Bc|d2 BG AGEG|DGBG A2 GB| d2 BG AGEG|DGBG c2 BA|GABd efge|dBGB A2G2|| BcdB cBcd|BcdB AEED|BcdB cBce|dBGB A2G2| BcdB cBcd|BcdB AEED|Bddf edBd|egfa gfge||
MAID OF FEAKLE, THE (An Aindir Ua Fiadcoill). AKA - "Maids of Feakle." Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The first strain of the reel is the same as "For the Sake of Old Decency," "Farewell to Old Decency," and Canon James Goodman's "Coursing (The)," although the second strains of the tunes differ. Nicholas Carolan, biographer of Francis O'Neill, thinks famous collector may have named the tune in honor of his wife, Anna, whose maiden name was Rogers and who came from Feakle, County Clare. Francis O'Neill, in his Irish Folk Music: A Fascinating Hobby (1910, p. 122) explains he obtained the tune during a trip to East Clare in 1906, where, in the Sliabh Aughty area, he had several tunes from fiddlers Johnny Allen, a dance musician and contemporary of Pat Canny, and Michael Touhey, both of whom had been pupils of a blind fiddler named Paddy MacNamara ("Paddy Mack"). The latter taught music in the region in the early part of the 20th century. Touhey was the source for the reel, which had no name, so O'Neill supplied one in honor of his visit.
