Wednesday 4 December 2024
Tune of the Day: The Frieze Breeches
Traditional Irish jig
This jig is taken from Francis O'Neill's The Dance Music of Ireland, published in Chicago in 1907. O'Neill states that the tune was “in some form known all throughout Munster. A strain remembered by from my mother's singing of it was added to Delaney's version, making a total of six in our printed setting.”
Frieze is a coarse woolen fabric with a rough surface. The title refers to clothing made from the material, once common in Ireland. However, the title is often rendered as “The Friar's Britches” due to the similarity of “frieze” and “friars” when spoken.