Farewell to Whiskey
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legacy / Scottish
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Niel Gow
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"Farewell to Whiskey", in Gaelic "Slan Le N-Uisge Beata" by Niel Gow (1727-1807) is also<br> known as "Neil/Niel Gow's Farewell to Whiskey".<br> This tune was composed in 1799, when the barley crop in<br> Scotland failed, and was so poor that no barley was permitted<br> to be used for distilling. In "The Beauties of Gow" (published<br> Edinburgh, 1819), his son Nathaniel annotated the tune with:<br> "This tune alludes to prohibiting the making of whisky in 1799.<br> It is expressive of a Highlander's sorrow on being deprived of<br> his favourite beverage."<br> In many collections (beginning with the Gow family’s Fifth Collection, 1809)<br> it is paired with Gow's "Welcome Whiskey Back Again" in this section.<br> Another tune by Neil Gow in this collection is "Drunk At Night and Dry i'da Morning".<br> It was printed in Gow's First Collection of Niel Gow's Reels (1784),<br> Gow's Fifth Collection of Strathspey Reels (1809), O'Neill's<br> Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies (1903), Stewart-Robertson's<br> The Athole Collection (1884) and Williamson's English, Welsh,<br> Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes (1976).<br> I often play this in medleys with:<br> - Miss McCleods in this section.<br> - Old Mother Flanagen in the tunes section<br>
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