Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID# 787 (Hag at the Churn)

RhythmBars8-bar phrase structureMode
Single jig16ABD Mixolydian
Transcription of first 2 bars of Hag at the Churn
 about these two bars

These two bars are the start of my transcription of how this tune was played – the first time through – on the recording BB 3 (details in the Discography below).

Where do you get the tune titles?
Titles given to this tune in the sources listed below (plus notes of mine about this tune):
Hag at the Churn, The / Hag at the Churn / Old Hag at the Churn / The Maid at the Churn / The Merry Woodsman / The Killina Jig (also as slide)
What do the "track#tune" codes mean?

cd Discography

Here are all recordings of this tune considering only the indexed recordings. I have discovered by careful listening that these sources are in fact musically the same tune, regardless of the tune titles they use, key changes, retuning, etc. They are listed in order of when they were recorded.

Year
Recorded		 Track
#Tune		 [Album code] Artist. Title. Primary musicians (instruments). Album details
and contents
19775#2[BB 3] The Bothy Band. Out of the Wind into the Sun. Paddy Keenan (pipes, whistle), Matt Molloy (flute, whistle), Kevin Burke (fiddle), Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill (vocals, keyboards), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, guitar, bodhrán, synthesizer), Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (guitar).View album details
19787#2[BB 4] The Bothy Band. After Hours. Kevin Burke (fiddle), Paddy Keenan (pipes, whistle), Matt Molloy (flute), Dónal Lunny (vocals, bouzouki, guitar, bodhrán), Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill (vocals, keyboards, bodhrán), Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (vocals, guitar, keyboards).View album details
~1996A.1#1[MISD 6] Donncha Lynch Trio. The Magic of Irish Set Dancing. Vol. 6. Donncha Lynch (accordion), Aogán Lynch (concertina), Donncha Lynch Jr. (guitar).View album details
~20011#2[PK 4] Paddy Keenan, Tommy O'Sullivan. The Long Grazing Acre. Paddy Keenan (pipes, whistle), Tommy O'Sullivan (guitar, vocals).View album details
20022#2[EGrs 1] Eliot Grasso. Standing Room Only. Eliot Grasso (pipes).View album details
~20022#2[JFtg] Joe Fitzgerald. Hills of Clare. Joe Fitzgerald (accordion).View album details
200311#3[CSmth] Chris Smith with Roger Landes and Randal Bays. Coyotebanjo. Chris Smith (banjo, mandola, mandolin, field organ), Roger Landes (bouzouki), Randal Bays (fiddle).View album details

Bibliography

Here are all transcriptions of this tune under any title whatsoever – considering only the indexed books – listed in chronological order. I have discovered by careful comparison that these are very similar to this tune as played on the recordings listed above.

As tune #43 in [CRE 2] Breandán Breathnach. Ceol Rince na hÉireann 2.
As tune #50 in [DM 2] Dave Mallinson. 100 Enduring Irish Session Tunes. [available]
On page 85 of [M] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. 3rd Edition.
On page 140 of [M2] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. Millennium Edition.
As jig #44 in [Cobb] Dan Cobb. Cobb's Music of Ireland. [available]

If you are considering using the above transcriptions to help you learn this tune, I invite you to check these practical Tips for Learning Irish Traditional Music. See also: So why do you bother indexing books and abc?

Year of the oldest source for this tune, considering the recordings and transcriptions listed above (note that I concentrate on sources after 1900): 1970
Please cite your source when you use information from this document.
© 2000–2008 Alan Ng, agng@facstaff.wisc.edu. Questions? Comments? Please use the easy Feedback Form. Thank you!
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