Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Swaggering Jig

slip jig

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on April 28th 2002 by Jeremy.

This tune has been added to 120 tunebooks.

Also known as Bellaghy Fair, The Fair Of Bellaghy, Give Us A Drink Of Water, Roger Sherlock's, The Swaggering.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

1975 The First by The Bothy Band
A' Sireadh Spòrs by Dr. Angus MacDonald
Afterhours by The Bothy Band
An Bodhran: The Irish Drum by Colm Murphy
Around The World For Sport by The Doon Céilí Band
Call The Tune: Music For The Sets Volume 4 by Various Artists
Celtic Connections - The Album by Various Artists
Celtic Reign by Celtic Reign
Contentment Is Wealth by Matt Molloy And Sean Keane
Corran Hill by Carmel Gunning
Corvus by Colcannon
Craic Of Dawn by An Tor
Dear Old Erin's Isle: Irish Traditional Music From America by Various Artists
Drioball Na Fáinleoige by Johnny Connolly
Driven by Donall Donnelly And Brian Hanlon
Echoes Of Erin by Comhaltas Tour Group 1984
Folktrax-173: Willie Clancy And Bobby Casey by Willie Clancy And Bobby Casey
From Both Sides by Niamh Ni Charra
Harmony Hill by Dervish
Irish Heritage: Ireland's Musical Tradition (CD 1) by Various Artists
Just As The Sun Was Setting by John Drury
Live In by Baker's Well
Live In Concert by The Bothy Band
Live It Up by Reeltime
Lunasa by Lunasa
Sea Changes Of The Toucan Pirates by Toucan Pirates
Set The Sails by Bantry Bay
Step Into The Beat: Modern Irish Dance Music by Ellery Klein And Ryan Lacey
The Blue CD by Irish Session Tunes
The Chanter's Tune by Na Fili
The Maid At The Well by Tony O'Rourke
The Man Behind The Box by Joe Derrane
The Piper's Apron by Tommy Keane
Through The Round Window by Eamonn Coyne
Tobar An Dúchais by Brid O'Donohue
Tobar An Dúchais: Solo Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Music From County Clare by Bríd O'Donohue
Touch Me If You Dare by Ronan Browne And Peter O'Loughlin
Tri by Far From Home
Waiting For A Call by Tommy Peoples
Within A Mile O' Jamestown by Mick Mulvey
Year Of The Dog by Wolfstone

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Swaggering Jig

This is probably best known from the playing of The Bothy Band. They recorded it under the title "Give us a drink of water".

There are actually words to go with this tune. Dervish recorded it as an unaccompanied song.

It's worth learning the words to at least a verse and a chorus (corresponding to the A and B parts of the tune). When I'm trying to memorize the melody of a tune, I find it easier if I have some words to go with the notes, even if they're nonsense words. I guess that's also the secret behind Sesame Street's teaching methods.

(I believe this used to be quite a common method of teaching tunes. I recall hearing about somebody teaching "The Geese In The Bog" with words like "Over me, under me, under me, over me...")

Unfortunately, I don't have any words to hand for "The Swaggering Jig". If somebody would like to contibute them, it would be much appreciated.

# Posted on April 28th 2002 by Jeremy

I posted this same tune a little while back as "Na Ceannabhain Bhana", O'Neill's lists it as the "Swaggering Jig". I thought the Bothy Band's "Give us a Drink Of Water" started this way

K:G
M:9/8
BAG ~E2D EGD | EGA BAG ~E2D |1 EAA ABc :|2 EGF G3 ||

My brain is starting to hurt

# Posted on April 28th 2002 by Mad Baloney

Swaggering Jig Words

Here are words which I think I saw at Henrik Norbeck's site. But maybe to a slightly different tune.

I went to the fair of Bellaghy, I bought a wee swag of a pig
I gathered it up in my arms and danced the swaggering jig
And it's high to the top of the heather and high to the but of the sprig,
And high to the bonnie wee lassie who danced the swaggering jig.

As I went to the fair of Bellaghy, I bought a wee slip of a pig
And being down by the poor house, I whistled the swaggering jig.
And it's high to the cups and the saucers, and high to the butter and bread,
And high to the bonnie wee lassie who danced the swaggering jig.

I being down by the poor house, I whistled so loud and so shrill,
I made all the fairies to tremble that lived around Corcoran's Hill.
And it's high to the top of the heather and high to the but of the sprig,
And high to the bonnie wee lassie who danced the swaggering jig.

# Posted on April 28th 2002 by LongNote

An Ceannabhain Bhan

Mad, the tune you posted is, although very similar, a different tune, or at least, a distinct variant. I won't go into the details - you can compare them. I've heard both tunes in sessions. I know this one as 'Give Us a Drink of Water', although I am arare that there are other tunes or variants of the same tune which go buy that name.

# Posted on April 29th 2002 by ragaman

Yeah your right David, this is the one the 'Bothy Band' plays after the "Kesh Jig". They are quite similar but are two distinct tunes.

# Posted on April 29th 2002 by Mad Baloney

Using words to teach a tune

I am not a bagpiper. However, I was reading a book on the subject that said that bagpipers used to remember and teach the tunes by attaching a syllable to each note (like solfeggio). The ornaments were attached to consonants on the end of the syllables. Does anybody know more about this?

# Posted on May 7th 2002 by cat

they are not different enough in my opinion to be different tunes.

i do however like both versions and play both. so if playing both variations makes it a different tune then i guess it is. i was always under the impression that playing a variation meant variation.

# Posted on May 1st 2005 by daiv

Here is the minor version of the tune that LongNote mentions. It's from Dervish's Harmony Hill. This tune that goes with the song I've never heard in a session, and it's just a version of the one Jeremy posted, so doesn't really warrant a separate entry.

# Posted on September 5th 2007 by Dow

Roche II, page 28, tune #269 "The Swaggering Jig"

"The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music, Volume II", 1912
"Hop Jigs" ~ pages 24 - 28

# Posted on July 17th 2008 by ceolachan