Annotation:New Bridge of Lagavuillin (The)
X:1 T:New Bridge of Lagavuillin, The M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel B:Alexander Mackay – A Collection of Reels, Strathspeys and Slow Tunes… B:Chiefly composed by Alexander Mackay, Musician Islay (c. 1822, p. 11) B: https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/104487947 N:Dedicated to the Right Hon. Lady Elinor Campbell of Islay and Shawfield. N:Mackay was born c. 1775 and was a fiddler-composer from Islay. Many of his N:tune titles are reflect Islay settings. N:Printed in Glasgow by J. MacFadyen, 30 Wilson St. Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D A|(GF)ED FAAd|B2 BA BcdA|.G.F.E.D FAAd|BAGF E2D:| |:c|d2 fd c2 ec|B2 BA FAAd|B2 AF ABde|dB AF E2D:|]
NEW BRIDGE OF LAGAVUILLIN, THE. Scottish, Reel (cut time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. "New Bridge of Lagavuillian" was first published in Islay fiddler-composer biography:Alexander Mackay's Collection of Reels, Strathspeys and Slow Tunes, printed in Glasgow around 1822. Mackay composer a number of tunes in the collection but his name was not appended to this reel, nor was it marked "old" or "very old" as are some other tunes in the collection. The town of Lagavulin (one 'l', meaning The Place of the Mill) is on the south of the island of Islay, Scotland.
Some will recognize Lagavulin as the name of one of the famous Islay whisky distilleries, dating from 1816, though records show illicit distillation on the site as far back as 1742. The road to Lagavulin passes over a bridge which is said to be haunted by the ghost of a late reveler who fell into the burn at this spot and was drowned. The local people do not like to walk over this bridge at night by themselves.
