Lady Mauchline’s reel

From “Köhlers’ Violin Repository of Dance Music, Book II”, published in Glasgow, 1885.

This tune is found as “Lord Mauchline’s Reel” in Gow’s 5th collection in 1809 (the composer is given as “Mr McLeod”), but the same tune had been published in Robert Ross’s Collection as “Lothian Lasses” almost thirty years earlier. When The Skye Collection came out in 1887, it was Ross’s setting and name which was used.

Like many tunes in minor keys there are lots of ewchoes in other tunes: “The Banks of Loch Ness”, “Donald John the Tailor” and even “Maurice Manley’s Polka” (one of the Ballydesmonds).

I didn’t notice the letter L. before the name Mauchline in the book. I checked the index and there it was named “Lady Mauchline’s Reel”.

This is a simplified version of “Murtough Molloy,” tune #741 in O’Neill’s 1001 -- bowings and rests are removed, and I eliminated accidentals by switching from minor to dorian mode. Very similar to Lady/Lord Mauchline’s other than bar 2 of the B part.

Breathnach has a setting from Tommy Potts called the Dublin Lasses, in CRE1 no. 193. He notes the connection with Murtough Molloy in O’Neill’s.