Scollay’s reel

I learned this tune from a friend of mine. I dont know much about it other than that it’s a contra dance reel.

Is this an American tune? It’s like an old timey version of the King Of The Fairies. I’ve heard *of* it, but never heard it in an Irish session. I was wondering: do people who play this tune also play the King Of The Fairies as a separate tune?

It is a Shetland variant of "King of the Fairies". I have it one of my notebooks, but I neglected to note where I got it. Possibly from Edinburgh fiddler Rosa Michaelson.

X:1
T:Scollay’s Reel
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Em
E3 F G3 A | BcBA GEGA | B2 E2 E2 G2 | FGAF D3 F |
E3 F G3 A | BcBA GEGA | B3 c BAFA | G2 E2 e4 :|
efge B2 B2 | g2 g2 B4 | c2 BA G2 G2 | FGAF D3 F |
E3 F G3 A | BcBd e2 d2 | B3 c BAFA | G2 E2 E4 :|

Key signature: E Dorian
Submitted on January 1st 2002 by Jeremy.
https://thesession.org/tunes/475

We play the King of f the Fairies as a different tune, which is more like Prince (or King) William of Orange.
Scollay’s is played as 2 As and 2Bs and the King of the Fairies is 2As and one B as the B part is more complex.

King of th Fairies is on one of Swarb’s albums. Can’t recall which.

In a set, follows on well from Whinham’s Reel (q.v.), as I heard in a session last night.

& just where were you last night?

I heard this tune from John McCutcheon about thirty years ago. I’ve always been curious about its provenance and I’ve occasionally searched tune books and the net and, until now, never found a reference other to than one of John’s early albums.

It never sounded very Irish to me, especially the way John played it, but I always liked it a lot. He played it slow and with a swing - sort of like a slow march.

I learned this as a Shetland slow reel, with a dotted, hornpipe-like rhythm. This is supported by the fact that he name Scollay is a fairly common name in the Shetlands and Orkneys, and is a local name of Norse origin, unrerlated to the Irish Scully.