Faerielore- The Luathradán’s Jig

As I sat by the fire with my son, Paidín,
A sudden change came over the scene.
Down the chimney came a little man so old,
And I asked him for his pit of gold.
“No gold have I, but good advice,
And if you heed it, you will be wise:
Grow small barley, and keep a pig,
And play this tune, the Luathradawn’s Jig.”
-Junior Crehan

On the day after St. Patrick’s Day, I’m wondering why the leprechaun became iconic in the Irish-American diaspora when the creature holds a minor role relative to the sidhe and other beings. I think it was more bucolic than the extensive tales of the Gentry, and simple daily luck played more importance to the lives of immigrants than grand battles. At any rate, some of the interesting related lore didn’t travel as far. I explain to my audiences that Luathradáns are similar to Leprechauns, but with the treasure of music instead of gold.

Junior Crehan, 1908–1998, a fiddler from County Clare, Ireland, was both a composer and a poet. In the poem he wrote for this tune, he credits it to a luathradán he and his son caught in their house one night. I have included three variations I have found- Crehan was known for improvising rhythmic variations. The first setting fits in the range of Irish whistle, which I use (double whistle) in my sets. The other two use the extended range of the fiddle.

Faerielore Music- Ree Raw

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.)

Faerielore- Lost Time, a chart

 

I’m posting this as an interesting reference. It is far from exhaustive, but shows interesting parallel phenomena from different cultures. I will discuss later, hopefully with psychologists and phycisists, other implications, with an anecdote concerning Einstein and my hometown.

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