Farewell to Whiskey

Kind of Tune
reel
Composer
Niel Gow
Alternate Titles
Rose in the Garden
Translated title
Murphy's Favor
Place of Origin
Scotland

This tune was originally composed as a slow air in the key of Bb, written to lament the banning of whiskey manufacture in Scotland by British authorities. It appears in the key of G (classified under "miscellaneous") in O'Neill's Music of Ireland. It was converted to reel tempo somewhere along the line and as such is widely played in the "Anglo-Celtic" world.

Notation for the version in the key of A played here by Cosmas Sigsworth is in The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island.

Tune Selections

Farewell to Whiskey Musician: Hilda MacPhee MacDonald, Recordist: Ken Perlman Accompanied by: Ken Perlman, bjo Northeast Kings info
Farewell to Whiskey Musician: Cosmas Sigsworth, Recordist: Ken Perlman Accompanied by: Dot MacCauley, gtr Central Kings info