McFadden’s Handsome Daughter reel

Source: “Music at Matt Molloy’s”
Transcription: g.m.p.


I find it rather tricky.( with the flute )

…of this tune on Four Men and a Dog’s “Barking Mad” CD. Cathal Hayden really lets fly on the fiddle.

Con

I’ve heard this played more often in the key of G.

I’ve never heard it played in G

I play the last part slightly differently:

~e3f edcd|ecac bB~B2|ceef ecAF|EFAB cAAc|
~e3f edcd|ecac bB~B2|cefe ~a3f|e2ce aecA||

See also Coming Home From The Bog https://thesession.org/tunes/2965.

I was wondering what the ogigins of McFadden’s Handsome Daughter were. I need to find out for music class any help would be great. No smart remarks needed.
Thanks,
Geoff Maher

Not intended to be smart.

I have been married to McFadden’s Handsome daughter for 34 years-Posters here know I refer to her as ‘Herself’.

(some of us say ‘she who must be obeyed’!)

I second the question. There are several related pieces (John mcFadden’s Reel, Paddy McFaddens) and we have been interested int it.

The McFadden’s are the smallest of the Irish Clans (McFaydeen and other variants). They are found primarily in the parishes of Donegal. PRimary center seems to be immediately in and east of Donegal Town.

Several recent posts were asking about music characteristic of specific areas of Ireland (Cork and Galway specifically) but this family is not found anywhere in the south. So the references must be to tunes characteristic in the NOrthwest.

Keep this going because I am interested in it also

Thanks
Damian

I believe the origins of McFadden’s Handsome Daughter can be traced directly to her parents.

Zippy I think your might be missing something there!

Co Mayo still lots of Mc Faddens and variants all round the world!

Har har har!

People have plenty of other names for it too:

McFADDEN‘S HANDSOME DAUGHTER (Ingean Datamuil Mic Paidin). AKA and see “Coming Home from the Bog,” “Donegal Lasses [1],” “The Gardener’s Daughter,” “The Groves of Mt. Talbot,” “I Wish I Never Saw You,” “Magic Slipper [1],” “Maud(e) Millar [2],” “The Montua,” “Morrison’s (Reel) [2],” “Mrs. Smullen’s,” ”Paddy McFadden’s [1],” “The Pride of Rockchapel.“ Irish, Reel. A Major (Miller, O’Neill, Vallely): G Major (Alewine). Standard. ABC (O‘Neill, Vallely): AA’B: AABC (Miller). Paddy Killoran recorded the tune on a c. 1950’s 78 RPM recording under the title ”My Love is Fair and Handsome [1].” Parts of O’Neill’s three-part tune are similar to parts of the alternate titles named above. “Coming Home from the Bog” is a related tune. Source for notated version: fiddler player John McFadden, originally from near Westport, County Mayo, then living in Chicago, and a musician whose skills at playing and improvisation O’Neill admired [O’Neill].

McFadden’s Handsome Daughter, that’ll be my mother then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_FjQFWer_E

play video

Here it is as a 3-part single reel, although I’m sure that the 3rd part is pinched from somewhere else…

T:McFadden’s Handsome Daughter
K:Amaj
E3F A2cA | BABc ecBA | E3F A2af | ecBd cAAF |
E3F A2cA | BABc ecBA | E2FG A2af | ecBd cAA2 ||
aece fgaf | edcA BAFA | aece fgaf | edcB ABce |
aece aecA | B2cA BAFA | agfe fgaf | edcB ABcd ||
e3f ec(3ccc | ecac bB(3BBB | ce(3eee aecA | EFAd cAAc |
e3f ec(3ccc | ecac bB(3BBB | cefg a3f | e2ce aecA ||

The “X:4” version is pretty close to the Frankie Gavin rendition featured in the video posted by “domhnall.” His version is different enough that I thought it worth adding to the mix. It falls nicely on the fiddle, too.

The story I heard was that the tune was written for John McFadden - or rather for his daughter. That is, John McFadden the Mayo-born fiddler, friend of Captain Francis O‘Neill in Chicago, and composer of several tunes in O’Neill’s collection. Probably the best known is McFadden’s favourite: https://thesession.org/tunes/1466

It’s uncertain whether McFadden wrote this particular tune (it would be a little odd to call it after his own daughter and refer to himself in the third person), but as far as I know it is definitely associated with him. And his daughter, obviously.

Last tune in this set.

https://youtu.be/alRZB4jToXQ

play video

Setting in G Major.

I suppose this key would be the one that is more playable for all the instruments in a session. As per the melody, no idea where exactly I got it, this is how I have it in my mind. I’m curious to see if more people would play something like this.