Spring is springing soon here in North America, and this is a fun and useful tune from faerielore, especially for the faires and festivals currently starting. Ireland has many locations whose topographical features are named for legends of the Fae. For centuries, many sites that were considered natural formations were, according to faerielore and confirmed later by archaeology, built stone architecture. Some larger examples are Newgrange (Gaeilge: Brú na Bóinne) and Tara, whose stone structures became covered by soil and grass.
One particular word for such hills is ráth. From this, we get the title of our current tune, meaning “King of the Faerie Hill,” from which we get the phrase Ree Raw, meaning a loud celebration or gathering. I have heard from friends that a favorite pub of theirs for sessions bears this name. This melody was played for spring processions, when communities would ascend these hills in celebration. The tune is very modal, with a leading sharpened seventh at interesting points. I think it’s an ideal tune for a parade of odd and loud instruments- imagine this on crumhorn, bamboo saxophone, hurdy-gurdy, fiddle, droned with didj or other folk horns, with a cacophony of random percussion. This sounds great in parallel fourths (if you want that kind of progression.)