Annotation:Old Blackthorn (The)
X:1 T:The Old Blackthorn T:The Jolly Clam-Diggers S:Donal Murphy, accordion B:CRE I, no.136 (slightly different) R:reel M:4/4 L:1/8 Z:transcribed by Paul de Grae K:D d2 FB AFEF|D2 dc BABc|dF ~F2 AFEF|GBAF Dgfe| d2 FB AFEF|Dddc BABc|dF ~F2 AFEF|GBAF DABc|| ~d2 fd egfd|A2 (3cBA eA (3cBA|defd efge|abag fdec| ~d2 fd egfd|A2 (3cBA eA (3cBA|defg a3 g|fdec dgfe||
OLD BLACKTHORN, THE (An Sean-draighneán). AKA - "Real Blackthorn Stick (The)." AKA and see "Blackthorn Stick (4) (The)," "Brightest Eyes," "Clear the Road," "Countess of Louden's Reel," "Inch of Garth," "Irishman's Blackthorn Stick (The)," "Jolly Clam-diggers (1) (The)," "Rising of the Sun (The)," "Rising Sun (2) (The)," "Strone Johnny (1)." Irish, Reel. Ireland; County Sligo, west Kerry. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Breathnach): AA'BB' (Moylan). A version of "The Rising Sun" family of tunes, albeit with a different second strain. O'Neill (1903) printed sets under the titles "Rising Sun (2) (The)"<div class="mw-ext-score noresize" data-midi="/w/images/lilypond/4/v/4vkm4n48l5j9nx3gy0sx143si7c0mnq/4vkm4n48.midi"><img src="/w/images/lilypond/4/v/4vkm4n48l5j9nx3gy0sx143si7c0mnq/4vkm4n48.png" width="697" height="94" alt="
X:1
T:Rising Sun [2]
M:C|
L:1/8
K:D
(fe)| d2 FB A2 FA | (3Bcd e(g fd)Bc | d2 FB (AG)F(D | (3EFG) FE D(gfe) |
"></div>
and "Jolly Clam-diggers (1) (The)"<div class="mw-ext-score noresize" data-midi="/w/images/lilypond/l/y/lyg2mzx2wjdhpsn3930zmefsebr11y7/lyg2mzx2.midi"><img src="/w/images/lilypond/l/y/lyg2mzx2wjdhpsn3930zmefsebr11y7/lyg2mzx2.png" width="643" height="80" alt="
X:1
T:Jolly Clamdiggers [1], The
M:C|
L:1/8
K:D
d2 FB AFEF|D2dc BABc|dF~F2 dFAF|GBAG FDFA|
"></div>
, by which titles it earlier appeared in Ryan's Mammoth Collection (1883), along with an additional set called "Brightest Eyes"<div class="mw-ext-score noresize" data-midi="/w/images/lilypond/c/j/cjttbxc4c1gclhhw8qa25es0481henz/cjttbxc4.midi"><img src="/w/images/lilypond/c/j/cjttbxc4c1gclhhw8qa25es0481henz/cjttbxc4.png" width="694" height="89" alt="
X:1
T:Brightest Eyes
M:2/4
L:1/8
K:D
(3A/B/c/ | B(F/G/) .A/(d/e/f/) | g/f/e/d/ f/d/B/c/ | d(F/G/) A(A/B/)|A/F/E/G/ F/D/D/A/ |
"></div>
. Scottish versions can be found as "Countess of Louden's Reel"<div class="mw-ext-score noresize" data-midi="/w/images/lilypond/p/o/popg9dlqiyx1o3ldknui2xllyfattyl/popg9dlq.midi"><img src="/w/images/lilypond/p/o/popg9dlqiyx1o3ldknui2xllyfattyl/popg9dlq.png" width="663" height="88" alt="
X:0
T:Countess of Loudon's Reel, The
M:C|
L:1/8
K:D
f|d2 (dA) FDAF|Ee-ed TcABc|d2 (dA) FDAg-|fdec dDD:|
"></div>
and "Inch of Garth"<div class="mw-ext-score noresize" data-midi="/w/images/lilypond/j/k/jkczcija4yz3i9asi3swdx64fp2zkq3/jkczcija.midi"><img src="/w/images/lilypond/j/k/jkczcija4yz3i9asi3swdx64fp2zkq3/jkczcija.png" width="697" height="85" alt="
X:1
T:Inch of Garth
M:C|
L:1/8
K:D
dD D/D/D (AF)DF | E(gfe) fdBc | dD D/D/D (AF)D(F | E)DEF D/D/D D2 :|
"></div>
.
The tune is listed as "The Real Blackthorn Stick" on the label of County Sligo/New York fiddler Michael Coleman's 1924 recording, made in New York for the M. & C. New Republic Irish Recording Company. The label was founded in 1921 by Peter McGettrick and James Clinton. It sported a green, white and gold flag-draped sunrise label decorated with shamrocks and advertised itself as the first all-Ireland record company to have marketed Irish records.
