Annotation:Muckle a Skerry in Three

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MUCKLE A SKERRY IN THREE. AKA and see "Irish Shilling," "Out and in the Harbour." Shetland, Shetland Reel. From the districts of Whalsay and Nesting, Shetland, or (according to Old-Lore Miscellany of Orkney, Shetland, Caithness and Sutherland, Vol. VI, Part 1, Jan., 1913, p. 8), the Whalsay and Skerries Districts. Muckla Skerry is a small island east of Whalsay, and, according to Peter Cooke (1986), the title makes reference to a fishing mead. The Old-Lore Miscellany remarks (rather disappointingly): "At festive gatherings the fiddler was commonly treated quite freely, and if he was at all inclined to indulge he ultimately reached a stage where his vision seemed distorted, he began to see things double or it may be even treble--in fact he saw Muckla Skerry in three, hence the reference." Pat Shuldham-Shaw also made a field recording of the tune under this name from the playing of Willie Hunter Sr. and Jr. (Lerwick, Shetland), and there is also a field recording of Andrew Polson playing the reel.

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See also listing at:
Hear Peter Cooke's field recording of William Robertson of Whalsay playing the tune in 1974 at Tobar an Dualchais [1] [2]
Hear Peter Cooke's field recording of Gilbert Hutchison of Whalsay playing the tune in 1974 at Tobar an Dualchais [3]

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