The Gold Ring
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"The Gold Ring" (in Gaelic "Fáinne n-Oir" or "Fáinne Óir") is also known as "Fermanagh<br> Gold Ring", "Lasses of Limerick", "Faire! Faire! ar Aghaidh! ar Aghaidh!" or "Tá Fáinne Air"<br> is a multiple part Irish double jig in D Mixolydian ('A' and 'B' parts) & G Major ('C',<br> 'D', and 'E' parts). The parts are played AABBCCDDEEFF (Boys/Lough): AABBCCDDEE (Brody):<br> AABBCCDDEEFFGG (Mallinson, O'Neill): AABCC'DD'EEFG (Mitchell): AABB'CCDD'EEFFGG (Taylor):<br> AABBCCDDEE (Williamson).<br> Seamus Ennis tells a story of a piper who had the courage to spend a<br> night hiding near a fairy rath to listen to the wonderful music of the little folk. As<br> usual they returned to the rath at sunrise to sleep, the nights' festivity over, and the<br> piper crept out from hiding. On close investigation of the site he found a tiny gold ring<br> on the ground, dropped by a fairy reveler. The very next evening he returned to the rath<br> and hid in the same place to listen again to the music of the wee folk but this time he<br> also overheard the lamenting of a fairy piper over the loss of the ring. The fairy cried<br> that he would grant any wish to get it back, upon which he man stepped from hiding and<br> offered to return the ring, explaining how he found it lost. True to his word the fairy<br> granted the human one wish, and asked the piper to name it. 'The jig I heard the other<br> night,' said the man, who added he could not quite remember it (due to the fairies<br> blocking the memory of their tunes), and the fairy piper granted the wish on the<br> spot-the tune that has ever since been called in memory of the incident "The Gold Ring".<br> The version given here is from Williamson and includes an unuaually short part D part<br> (4 measures). All parts are in the key of G.<br> It was printed in Brody's Fiddler's Fakebook (1983),<br> O'Neill's Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies (1903),<br> O'Neill's Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems (1907),<br> Mitchell's Dance Music of Willie Clancy (1993),<br> Taylor's Music for the Sets: Blue Book (1995),<br> Vallely's Learn to Play the Tin Whistle with the Armagh Pipers Club, vol. 3 and<br> Williamson's English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes (1976). <br> It was recorded by Jordi Savall on The Celtic Viol. II (2010),<br> Sean Keane on Gusty's Frolics,<br> The Pipering of Willie Clancy, Vol. 2 (1993),<br> Conal O'Grada on Top of the Croom (1990),<br> Seamus Ennis on Ceolta, Scealta agus Amhrain,<br> Tony MacMahon & Noel Hill on I gCnoc na Graí ('In Knocknagree'),<br> Seamus Creagh & Aidan Coffey on Traditional Music from Ireland,<br> The Chieftains on Cotton Eyed Joe,<br> Paul O'Shaughnessy on Stay Another While (1999),<br> The Boys of the Lough on Second Album (1974),<br> Liam O'Flynn on The Piper's Call,<br> Brian Mac Aodha on Throw Away the Keys and others.<br>
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