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The Priest In His Boots jig

Also known as Bounce On Bess, The Moorhen, Moorhens And Coots, The Parson In His Boots, Priest And His Boots, The Priest And His Boots, The Priest’s Boots, Rocking The Cradle, Sagart Na MBuataisi.

There are 29 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with Down The Back Lane (a few times) and John Naughton’s (a few times).

The Priest In His Boots appears in 3 other tune collections.

The Priest In His Boots has been added to 4 tune sets.

The Priest In His Boots has been added to 75 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Six settings

1
X: 1
T: The Priest In His Boots
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
efe e2 g|fdf ecA|d3 fdd|eAA Bcd|
efe e2 g|fdf ecA|d3 faf|1 gec d3:|2 gec d2||
|:f|a2 f g2 e|{a}f2 d ecA|d3 fdd|eAA Bcd|
a2 f g2 e|{a}f2 d ecA|d3 faf|gec d2:|
2
X: 2
T: The Priest In His Boots
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
d2B c2A|B2G AFD|d2B c2A|BGF GBc|
d2B c2A|B2G AFD|GAB d2B|cBA G3:|
A3 A2G|A2G FED|G3 GFG|B2A GED|
A3 A2G|ABG FED|GAB d2B|cBA G3:|
3
X: 3
T: The Priest In His Boots
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
A|:ABA Adc|B3 ADD|DGG GFG|ADE FGA|
ABA Adc|B3 ADD|1DGG BdB|cAF G3:|2DGG BdB|cAF GBc||
|:dDD cDD|BDD ADD|DGG GFG|ADE FGA
|d2B cBA|BdB AFE|DGG BdB|cAF GBc:|
# Added by Yvan .
4
X: 4
T: The Priest In His Boots
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
c/d/|e2e e2e|e>fd cBA|d>ed fed|cAc e3|
e2e e2e|efd cBA|ded fga|gec d2:||
f/g/|a2f g2e|f2d cBA|d>ed fed|cAc efg|
a2f g2e|f2d cBA|d>ed fga|gec d2:||
5
X: 5
T: The Priest In His Boots
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
e3e3|e2 d cBA|d3 fed|c2d ecA|
e3 e3|e2d cBA|dAd faf|gec d3:|
|:a2f g2 e | f2d ecA | d3 fed | c2 d ecA |
a2f g2 e | f2 d ecA | d3 fed | cBc d3 :|
6
X: 6
T: The Priest In His Boots
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|: fg | a2f gfe | fed B2A | a2f gfe | fef efg |
a2f gfe | fed B2A | d2f a2f |1 gfe dfg :|[2 gfe dcd |]
|: e2e e2e | efe dBA | B2d dBd | efe dBd |
e2e e2e | efe dBA | d2f a2f |1 gfe dcd :|[2 gfe dfg |]

Seventeen comments

The Priest in his Boots

This is the version in Breandan Breathnac’s Ceol Rince na hEirreann cd2
Michael Tubridy publishes Dan Fury’s setting in his book on Traditional step dancing (Piper’s Club, Dublin)
I have seen it mentioned as a Wexford Mummers dance

On Music at Matt Molloy’s, Arty McGlynn plays a jig on guitar called Rocking the Cradle, which appears to be a version of this tune.

This version

This is the version collected by Brendan Breathnac from Micho Russell of Doolin

Key Signature wrong

Something seems to have gone wrong between ABC & Sheetmusic as ABC is correctly in Dmaj whereas key signature on Sheetmusic is erroneously G major.

Chris

The Priest in his Boots

My wife insists that "Boots" is a reference to prophylactic devices. I feel compelled to pass on this outré observation on her behalf.

Can be found in the Gunn Book (1865) and still popular in Fermanagh. Big John McManus plays in G and then in A. Very effective. There is also a specific dance for this tune

Oops. Big John McManus and others in Fermanagh play this tune in G then D (not A)

This is an old Clare setting I got from Ben Power, who got both the tune and its sean-nós set dance from James Keane.

Another version of Sagart na mBuataisi-The Three Little Drummers/Holly Bush

Tola Custy & Cyril O’Donoghue recorded these two jigs on Setting Free but had a significantly different "A" part. Here it is, minus all ornaments.

X:1
T: Sagart Na MBuataisi
T: Tola Custy & Cyril O’Donoghue from SETTING FREE
R: Jig
M? 6/8
L: 1/8
K: GMaj
A|:ABA Adc|B3 ADD|DGG GFG|ADE FGA|
ABA Adc|B3 ADD|1DGG BdB|cAF G3:|2DGG BdB|cAF GBc:|
|:dDD cDD|BDD ADD|DGG GFG|ADE FGA
|d2B cBA|BdB AFE|DGG BdB|cAF GBc:|

The Priest In His Boots, X:3

This is the setting given by Rannac in the above comment, from the play of Tola Custy on Setting Free.
https://thesession.org/tunes/877#comment765906

This is close to the version played by Arty McGlynn on Music at Matt Molloy’s.

Posted by .

The Priest In His Boots, X:4

This is taken from "Riley’s Flute Melodies"circa 1816.

The Priest In His Boots, X:5

Taken from ‘A Fine Selection of Over 200 Irish Traditional Tunes for Sessions’, compiled by David Speers with a Forward by Matt Cranitch.

Re: The Priest In His Boots

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


Does anyone know or have an opinion as to whether the tune in the above link is a different setting of this tune? There are some similarities, but they seem to me to be too faint to be the same tune.

Re: The Priest In His Boots

Imo it’s a different setting of the same tune. It’s a common dancing tune, someone mentioned above that it was a Wexford Mummers dance - it is still used in Fermanagh for the Mummers. They play it in 2 keys. Nice clip, thanks for sharing.

Re: The Priest In His Boots

Thanks, and you’re welcome. I love how differently tunes are played depending on region and etc..

The Priest In His Boots, X:6

This setting is based on a recording (Youtube link in comments) from "Cover the Buckle: A Collection of Irish Set Dances for Listening and Dancing" - https://thesession.org/recordings/6108