Drowsy Maggie: A Song History

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"Drowsy Maggie" is an Irish reel whose first part sits in E Dorian (or E minor) before the second part turns to D major; it is also known in Irish as Meaigí Shámhánta.[1][2] The earliest dated printing listed by the Traditional Tune Archive is P. M. Haverty's One Hundred Irish Airs, volume 2 (1858), and Francis O'Neill later included the reel in both Music of Ireland (1903) and Dance Music of Ireland (1907).[1][2] Similar titles can mislead: Frank Roche's "Drousy Maggie" of 1927 is a different tune, and irishtune.info invites comparison between its first part and that of a tune called "Sleeping Maggie."[1][2]

Mezzotint of a young woman asleep in a chair by candlelight with needlework in her lap

Gerard Valck, Sleeping Girl with Needlework in her Lap, mezzotint. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public domain (CC0). Shown in fun for its drowsy subject; it has no connection to the tune.

Uilleann piper Patrick J. Touhey recorded it in New York on November 14, 1919, as the opening tune of a medley with "Scotch Mary" and the "Flogging Reel," issued on Victor 18639.[3] Fiddler George Halpin, with Dennis Marion at the piano, recorded it for Gennett on October 27, 1924, and the Four Provinces Orchestra included it in a Columbia medley in March 1928.[4][5] Paddy Killoran recorded it for Decca in 1937, and in 1938 Alan Lomax recorded Patrick Bonner of Beaver Island, Michigan, playing it as "Rousy Maggie" for the Library of Congress.[1] A third part sometimes played was first recorded by fiddler Frank O'Higgins in 1938; a later album credited that part to Joe Cooley, which both tune indexes doubt.[1][2]

The Chieftains put it on Chieftains 4 in 1973, and it has since been recorded by players from Matt Molloy to Liz Carroll.[1][2] It also appears in general fiddle tunebooks such as Brody's Fiddler's Fakebook (1983) and Songer's Portland Collection (1997); the Traditional Tune Archive calls it a very common reel, and more than 500 irishtune.info members report playing it.[1][2]

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Sources

  1. Traditional Tune Archive: "Annotation:Drowsy Maggie (1)".
  2. irishtune.info (Alan Ng): "Drowsy Maggie".
  3. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Victor matrix B-23335. Drowsy Maggie / Patrick J. Touhey".
  4. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Gennett matrix 9152. Drowsy Maggie / George Halpin".
  5. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Columbia matrix W109108. Pride of Connacht ; Drowsy Maggie ; Claddagh reel / Four Provinces Orchestra".