The Gordons of Stoneyford,Co.Antrim-Violin Makers -by Michael Costello
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Fiddle music in Co.Antrim in the 1830`s

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A list of tunes from the Simpson/Gordon Manuscript
1837-1844

The Simpson /Gordon Manuscript is a small but significant source of information regarding the typical repertoire of County Antrim fiddle players in the 1830`s and 40`s.This mixture of tunes Irish,Scottish and European is surely indicative of  the origins of the Ulster Scots tradition of fiddle playing.The small hand written collection (with many musical errors) contains reels, jigs,hornpipes, Marches,Waltzes,O`Carolan music,Polkas,Quick Steps,Quadrilles and Neil Gow music. There are of course other larger and more significant collections of folk music both published and unpublished from this era but the fiddle maker Hugh Gordon ,known far and wide as the county`s best known fiddle maker, would have been in a unique position to meet fiddle players and be aware of the tunes they enjoyed playing,due to the many visitors he would have had for both repairs and new fiddles.

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The New Road to Elgin
Rosin the Bow
Miss Gordon`s Reel
Lady Carbery`s Reel
The Laird of Dunerval
Cochran`s Fancy
The Morning Star Hornpipe
Miss Stirling
The Waterloo Reel
The Lasses of Mourne
The Barley House
Percy`s Fancy
Wellington`s Advance
The Tinker`s Maggot
The Pride of Clangathland
The Queen`s Hornpipe
Down the Broom to Joe
The Steampacket
The Tenpenny Bit
The Laird of Cockpen
Betty`s Fancy
The Honeymoon Reel
Lady Montgomery`s
The Dutch Skipper
The Stoneyford Lasses
The Crommelin (Crumlin) Reel
Shelna Gera
Speed The Plough
The liverpool Hornpipe
Fisher`s Hornpipe
The Sprig of Fern
The Highlandman`s Knee buckle
Shane`s Castle
Jock o` Hazeldean
O`carolan`s Rambles to Teague
The Alpine Waltz
The new Bugle Waltz
The Brighton Waltz
The Munich Waltz
The march of the 42nd Regiment
O,Breath not his name
The Liverpool Reel
Weel may the keel row
 

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All research on this site was carried out independently by Michael Costello between 1978 and 2005.All photos and information are the property of the author and may not be copied or reproduced without his permission.

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Please click here to visit the author`s poetry website- Dánta Dúnta