Spootiskerry
Allan MacDonald
It's the title of a song by Ian Burns. Is there any history to the
song that might be of interest to an audience.
Also does anyone know the history of Morrison's Jig, a traditional
Irish jig?
Thanks
PTK3509
Across
The Hob. However, it was a favorite tune of James Morrison, the other
great Sligo fiddler to make early recordings in the 1920's and became
known as Morrison's.
Paul
Dr John Barrow
: Can anyone tell me what "Spootiskerry" means?
: Thanks
can't remember (I've a terrible memory for tunes and their titles - I can
remember tune titles and some tunes but try putting the right one to the
right one - if you follow :() - but isn't spootiskerry a Shetland tune? A
skerry is an outcrop of rock in the sea (I think).
jb
:-)
memorably challenged!
David Marcus & Peggy Lamberson
>
> Can anyone tell me what "Spootiskerry" means?
> It's the title of a song by Ian Burns. Is there any history to the
>song that might be of interest to an audience.
I do not know if it is related, but there is also a reel called
Spootiskerry, and is also known as "The Fateful Head". I believe
that the alternate title refers to a head of land jutting out into
the ocean and presumably carrying sailors to their fate. So, perhaps
both the song and the reel refer to a specific place?
Richard Robinson
Allan MacDonald <alma...@fox.nstn.ca> wrote:
> Can anyone tell me what "Spootiskerry" means?
> It's the title of a song by Ian Burns. Is there any history to the
>song that might be of interest to an audience.
From the Introduction to "Spootiskerry. Music from Shetland" by Ian Burns
"Spootiskerry - the croft belonging to my late great aunts Bella and Joan
Nicholson, situated between the village of Sullom and the new town of Brae.
Originally spelt Spootskerry, but as the years have passed, an "i" or
an "a", and sometimes an "o" have been added. The croft took its name
from the skerry that lies offshore. Usually the house on a croft has the
same name, but in this case the house is named Southness."
He adds that it was his first composition.
and, it dates from 1980, and is a reel.
--
Richard Robinson, Leeds, UK ric...@beulah.demon.co.uk
"The whole plan hinged upon the natural curiosity of potatoes" - S. Lem
Phil Katz
a standard at the contra dances; virtually any working
or aspiring dance musician would know it. It was the second or third
reel I learned when learning my instrument.
My guess is the use of the word "song", above, reflects one common
convention among people who mainly listen to their music
as tracks on a recording, namely to call both
vocal and instrumental tracks "songs". Calling instrumental
music "tunes" and vocal "songs" seems usual among folks who
make music themselves, imo.
Or has anyone actually heard vocal music entitled
"Spootiskerry"?
EdmundR
add the bit of folklore that I picked up when I learned the tune, which is
one of my favorites: "kerry" is gaelic for "rock" and "spoot" is meant for
"spout," so that the tune is "spouting rock," so called because the tide
rushes in through a groove and then spouts forth from the top of the rock.
Mark Birdsall
> Can anyone tell me what "Spootiskerry" means?
> It's the title of a song by Ian Burns. Is there any history to the
> song that might be of interest to an audience.
> Irish jig?
> Thanks
MIchael Pavan
from the most comprehensive source of information that I'm aware of:
The Traditional Tune Archive
"The Semantic Index of North American, British and Irish traditional instrumental music with annotations"
https://tunearch.org/wiki/TTA
(formerly known as The Fiddler's Companion)
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/
(not all information has been migrated yet)
The Session may have useful information too
https://thesession.org