Wallop The Potlid jig

I’ve known this jig for almost as long as I’ve played fiddle, and my source for it is lost in some beer-clogged synapse deep in the lymbic system, which might as well be another galaxy for how accessible *that* is. Apparently that’s where most other trad players keep the whole tune as well…I haven’t run into anyone outside our local circle who knows it. We even played it for the members of a “big name” band last year in a session, and the leader (someone who’s rarely stumped for a tune) leaned over and asked me for its name.

Of course, how I posted it for the dots isn’t how I play it, but the bare bones version will give you the line, and then you can add your own sense of flesh.

Myself, I usually do something along the lines of:

T: Wallop The Potlid
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
A|BAG AGF|DGG FGA|~B3 cBc|dgg fdc|
|BAG AGF|DGG FGA|B/c/dB cAF|AGF G2 A|
|~B3 AGF|DGE FGA|BAB ~c3|dgg fdc|
|~B3 AGF|DGG FGA|~B3 cAF|AGF G2 A||

|BB/B/B cBc|dgg fdc|~B3 cBc|dBG FGA|
|BAB cA/B/c|dgg fdc|BdB cAF|AGF G2 A|
|~B3 ~c3|dgg fdc|~B3 cBc|dAG FGA|
|BAG cBA|dgg fdc|B/c/dB cAF|AGF G2 A||


The plain and simple melody goes well after something somber and dramatic like Gallagher’s Frolics, Lilting Banshee, or Scatter the Mud.

Hi Will

I’ve always known this as “The Mouse In The Cupboard” (see Norbeck’s #54 for a setting similar to yours), and “Wallop The Potlid” as a different tune in D. I’m surprised you’ve not heard it played much outside of your circle; I find it to be quite a common jig. Your “final ending” I think is a standard second half of the 2nd part. Fab tune - I absolutely love simple jigs like this in G for some reason.

Mark

G’day Mark,
I play a G maj jig called Mice in the Cupboard (aka Willie Coleman’s), but it’s different enough from Wallop (particularly in the B part) that they’re clearly different tunes to my ear. See https://thesession.org/tunes/476

When I first learned Wallop the Potlid, that “final ending” bit was meant to go in every time around, but I thought it would have more kick if I saved it for the last time round. Since no one I knew was playing the tune, I arranged it to suit my own tastes. This is now our “standard” way of playing it here in Helena (“capital of ITM correctness”--hah! 🙂. So you’re right…I should’ve mentioned that in my comments above.

I suggest that, to avoid confusion, we dub it “Wallop the Mouse in the Cupboard.”

….with a potlid.

Poor little mouse!

ummm, there’s another similar jig called Mouse in the Mug, which is again similar to the Roaring Barmaid, mistakenly named Butlers of Glen Avenue on Lunasa’s Otherworld cd, so howz about…“Ask the Butlers of Glen Avenue to Wallop the Mouse in the Mug in Willie Coleman’s Cupboard into the Otherworld with the Potlid” ??? Inhale! Inhale!

Ooops…forgot:

“Ask the Roaring Barmaid to Wallop the Mouse in the Mug in Willie Coleman’s Cupboard into the Otherworld with the Potlid provided by the Butlers of Glen Avenue”

There…now all’s right with the world. 🙂

I was going to post a reel I know called “The Humours of Asking the Roaring Barmaid, etc.” but I’m afraid it’s already posted.

Cuch, that must be the one commonly played right before “Farewell to the Humours of Asking the Roaring Barmaid…..”

Will, I’m standing my ground on this one. This is really confusing because there is indeed a tune called “The Mice (plural!) In The Cupboard” which is also known as “Willie Coleman’s”, and which *is* a different jig in G - that one goes up high to top B. There is also a jig called “The Mouse (singular!) In The Cupboard” which is this one definitely - you’ll see both tunes at Norbeck’s. Sorry to be pedantic (again) 🙂
Mark

By the way, Will, thanks for directing me to “The Mouse In The Mug” - it’s gorgeous and I’m going to have to learn it right now.

Okay, I did a little digging and can offer a little more info.

First, I took Mark’s advice and looked at Norbeck’s abcs. Indeed, his jig #54, Mouse in the Cupboard, is the same tune as Wallop the Potlid. Norbeck cites Boys of the Lough as a discographic source. The setting is very similar, but “off” a bit on a few key notes (to my ear). Incidentally, Norbeck cross references the tune to #115, Scully Casey’s, which seems odd to me. I hear far more similarities between Scully Casey’s and Young Tom Ennis (aka Banshee’s Wail Over the Mangle Pit), than between Mouse in the Cupboard and Casey’s. But maybe I’m biased--I most often play Young Tom and Casey’s both in G dor, and the A parts are *very* similar.

On to Breathnach’s Ceol Rince na hEireann. He lists Mouse in the Cupboard in Volume I, number 10, collected from piper Sean Potts. He gives the Gaelig name as “Ballai Lios Chearbhaill.” The setting is nearly identical to the one I posted here. Breathnach cites The Merry Old Woman in O’Neill’s (page 24 in the Oak Krassen edition), and it is indeed the same tune, slightly different setting. Breathnach lists other names for the tune as: The Rakes of Newastle West, Wollop (sic) the Potlid, the Walls of Liscarroll, and Tumble the Tinker (which makes me think that nearly all of these titles are risque double entendres--wallop the “potlid” indeed 🙂.

LOL - why do some tunes have to have only the names of other tunes?! What are we supposed to call it I wonder… I guess call it what you like…

Mark, I don’t know any jigs in D called Wallop the Potlid, but I do play a three-part jig in D, Wallop the *Spot.* Starts like:

|~F3 DFA|BAF dAG|~F3 DFA|BAG FGE|~F3 DFA|BAF d2 e|fed edB|BAF AFE|etc.

Does that ring a bell?

But what’s a “mangle pit”? Sounds a dreadful way to do your laundry.

It’s a rock concert thing.

Which explains the banshee’s wail….must’a been reggae.

Will,
No doesn’t ring a bell - “Wallop The Potlid” in D goes:
F2D ~D3|E2D ~D3|F2D ~D3|DFA BGE…
I think it’s in O’Neill’s. I’ll post it sometime if you want.

I found it in my copy of O’Neill’s, so don’t post it for my sake. Reminds me a bit of The Rolling Waves….

I just realized, listening to Another Gem by Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham, that the tune listed on it as “The Mouse in the Cupboard” is a version of this tune. The B section seems to be an amalgamation of the two B versions given here, mostly the “final ending” but with the 6th measure more like the first B version. Of course as always he plays his own redaction, so it’s not exactly this tune, but close enough to be a fraternal twin. I’ve just posted the recording because of this, in case anyone’s interested.
Ahem. I must protest cruelty to mice, btw. ;)

“Your final ending I think is a standard second half of the 2nd part.” So I play it like this:

X: 1
T: Mouse in the Cupboard, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
A|:BAG AGF|DGG FGA|BAB cBc|dgg fdc|
BAG AGF|DGG FGA|BdB cAF|AGF G2 A:|
|:BAB cBc|dgg fdc|BAB cBc|dBG FGA|
|BAB cBc|dgg fdc|BdB cAF|AGF G2 A
|BAB cBc|dgg fd^c|def ~g3|eag fd^c|
|dgg bgg|a2 g fd=c|BdB cAF|AGF G3|

(Sorry if that was obvious from the discussion above!)

We usually play this at least three times through and like to save the higher ending for the last go round, but I’ll play it however my hosts are playing it.

FWIW, when I played this with Joanie Madden and friends, it stumped them--they didn’t recognize it. But Joanie learned it on the spot.

This tune is great fun as the centerpiece of a three-tune set, starting with Charlie Hunter’s and ending with Rosewood. (Yes, that’s the set Aly Bain plays, and I find this version of the tune works just as well as his slightly different version.) Given the spirit of the discussion above, I’ve christened the set Charlie’s Rosewood Mouse.

I came across this tune in the Roche Collection, Volume I where there are two settings of it entitled Repeal of the Union. Searching this site, I found that this is also the title of a reel in D, but nontheless, here is the first setting of the tune:

X: 1
T: Repeal of the Union
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: G
A ||: BcB AGE | DGG DGG | BAB cBc | def gdc |
B3 AGE | DGG DGG | B/c/dB cAF | AGG G2 A :||
||: BAB cBc | dgg fdd | fef gfg | a2g fdB |
dgg b2g | a2g fdc | B/c/dB cAF | AGG G2 A :|]

Scully Casey’s: https://thesession.org/tunes/3437

I believe it’s more commonly played like this:

|:A|BAB cBc|dgg fdc|BAB cBc|dgf g2a|
bag agf|~g3 fdc|BAG Adc|AGF G2:|

This is almost how Andrew and Mary MacNamara recorded it if I’m not mistaken.

This one is in the O’Flaherty retreat tunebook, listed as Mouse in the Cupboard. It is a favorite at one of my sessions around here.

We play measures 1 and 5, B2GAGE. and measures 4, and 10 go d2gedc. Pretty much the same, but the pauses add a nice little rythym to it.

X:1
T:The Merry Old Woman
S:“O’Neill’s Dance Music of Ireland-1,001 Gems”
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=120
R:Jig
K:G
|:G/A/|B3 AGF|DGG G2 A|BAB cBc|dgg fdc|
BGB AFA|DGG FGA|BdB cAF|AGG G2:|
|:A|BAB cBc|dgg fdc|dgg gfg|agf g2 [Aa]|1
BAB cBc|dgg fdc|B2 d cAF|AGG G2:|2
bgb afa|gfd cAF|Bcd cAF|AGG G2||

As far as I know this was one of the first, or maybe the first, recording of Irish music on a disc. It was made by Eddie Herborn way back when. A more ‘recent’ recording was made by Jackie Roche. Sure a couple of notes here and there are different, but that’s what makes the music interesting.

It’s not the Mouse in the Cupboard - you’re mixing it up with another tune.

A transcription of the aforementioned Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain version, which they label “Mouse In The Cupboard”. Doesn’t seem different enough from Wallop The Potlid in spirit to warrant being called a completely different tune.

Called “The Boys of New York” and attributed to a Daniel Kelleher in this manuscript: http://rarebooks.library.nd.edu/digital/bookreader/MSE_1434-1/#page/3/mode/1up

Transcribed from the Calum Stewart trio version here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0HB0FQyesY

play video

Yeruvan said, “Called ”The Boys of New York“ and attributed to a Daniel Kelleher in this manuscript…”

There are quite a few tunes in the Reidy manuscript which have the annotation “By” so-and-so, but some of them are known tunes and considerably older (“Wind That Shakes the Barley” and “Pretty Peggy” are examples). Other tunes have “Composed by…” next to them. I wonder if there is a distinction there? Perhaps “By” should be read as “As played by…” - ?

As for the comment above about not hearing the similarity to “Scully Casey’s”, just transpose “The Mouse in the Cupboard” one note up (but without changing the accidentals) and you have it. So yes, they are versions of the same tune, one in a major key, and one in a minor key.