Annotation:Oidhche bha na gabhair againn (An)

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X:1 T:Isla Reel [2] T:'N oidche bha na gobhair aguin M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel B:John Gow – A Favorite Collection of Slow Airs, B:Strathspeys and Reels (London, c. 1804, p. 35) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G e|dG G/G/G dGBd|e/e/e g2 deBe|dG G/G/G dBBe|eddB A2A:| |:d|e/e/e g2 dBBd|e/e/e g2 dB g2|b/a/g/f/ g2 dBBd|egdB A2A:|]


OIDHCHE BHA NA GABHAIR AGAINN, AN (The Night We Had the Goats). AKA – "Goat's Reel (The)," "The Night the Goats Came Home," "'N oidche bha na gobhair aguin." AKA and see "Isla Reel (2)." Scottish, Canadian; Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The melody for a Scots Gaelic puirt-a-beul song (mouth-music employed for dancing), known in the Hebrides as was as Cape Breton. Piper Barry Shears says his is but one of several settings of this tune found on Cape Breton, where it is a favorite fiddle and pipe reel. Cape Breton words (from John Shaw) go:

An oidhche bha na gobhair againn, bha na trì ghobhair againn,
An oidhche bha na gobhair againn, trì ghobhair òg’ againn,
Bha na trì, bha na trì, bha na trì ghobhair againn,
Bha na trì, bha na trì, trì ghobhair òg’ againn.

The night we had the goats we had three goats,
The night we had the goats, three young goats,
We had the three, the three, the three goats,
We had the three, the three, three young goats, .... [Peter Cooke, Ross Manuscript]

The tune was collected by Elizabeth Jane Ross (1789–1875), later Lady D’Oyly, on the island of Raasay in 1812, and appear in her manuscript collection [1] (No. 73). A version by John and William Gow in London, called "Isla Reel (2)."

Additional notes

Source for notated version: -

Printed sources : - John Gow (A Favorite Collection of Slow Airs, Strathspeys and Reels), London, c. 1804; p. 35. McKinnon (Robert McKinnon's Highland Bagpipe Music), 1884; p. 37. Ross (Collection [of] Pipe Music), 1885; no. 259, p. 196. Shears (Gathering of the Clans Collection), 1986; p. 48 (pipe setting). Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 16.

Recorded sources: -Green Linnet GLCD1215, John Williams – "Steam" (1991). Greentrax CD TRAX180, Natalie MacMaster – "In My Hands." Rounder 7048, Natalie MacMaster – "Live" (2002). Smithsonian Folkways Records, SFW CD 40507, The Beaton Family of Mabou – "Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano Music" (2004. Appears as "The Night the Goats Came Home"). Temple COMD2045, Battlefield Band – "New Spring" (1991). Brenda Stubbert – "Some Tasty Tunes." Alex Francis MacKay – "A Lifelong Home." Dave MacIsaac – "Nimble Fingers." Mac Morin – "Mac Morin."

See also listing at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [2]
Hear Cape Breton fiddler Donald Angus Beaton's version on youtube.com [3]


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