Sunday 4 February 2024
Tune of the Day: Paddy O'Rafferty
Traditional Irish jig
The earliest known appearance of this jig is in the First Book of Niel Gow's Reels, published in 1784. The tune is extremely well known in Ireland, and as music collector Breandán Breathnach once remarked, “there are as many versions of it as there are musicians”.
One of the most singular instances of the tune is on the barrel organ from the polar expedition of Admiral Parry of 1819. In place of a ship's fiddler, which was common in those days, Parry introduced a mechanical barrel organ on board ship to provide entertainment. “Paddy O’Rafferty” was one of 31 dance tunes that accompanied him and his men on their expedition to the North Pole.