Annotation:Maiden Magpie (The)
X:1 T:Maid and Magpie, The M:C L:1/8 R:Reel B:Stephen Grier music manuscript collection (Book 2, c. 1883, No. 101, p. 22) B: http://grier.itma.ie/book-two#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=21&z=-230.5038%2C169.9416%2C3070.4826%2C1234.6572 N:Stephen Grier (c. 1824-1894) was a piper and fiddler from N:Newpark, Bohey, Gortletteragh, south Co. Leitrim. Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D DFAF dFAF|DFAF GFEF|DFAF dFAF|defd B2d2:| f2 fd ef/g/ ec|dcdB AF D2|f2 fd ef/g/ ec|dcBA Bcde| fgaf bgef|dcdB AFEF|DFAF dFAF|defd B2d2||
MAIDEN MAGPIE, THE. Irish, Reel (cut time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Researcher Conor Ward found this previously unpublished reel in three 19th century manuscripts, each with a slightly different title. "The Maiden Magpie" is the title used by Larry Smyth of Abbeylara, Co. Longford, in his c. 1900 music collection, while an almost identical version of the reel was entered by Stephen Grier (c. 1824-1894) of Gortletteragh, Co. Leitrim, in Book 2 of his c. 1883 copybook. Grier's title for the tune was the similar "Maid and Magpie (The)." Ward notes that the tune was not a local one, however, as it can also be found (twice!) in farmer and fiddler Philip Carolan's music manuscript collection compiled in the 1860's in County Mayo. Carolan's name for one of the versions was "Maid of Magpie (The)," while the other (No. 140) is untitled.
Scottish fiddler-composer John Bowie's "Mr. Stirling of Keir's Reel (2)" is quite similar in the first strain, but differs in the second. However, the melodic similarity is probably coincidental and not relational.
