From Dunkeld to Dunkineely - The Highlands & Strathspeys of Donegal - Brand New Book
The highland is one of the hallmark rhythms of the dance repertoire in Donegal. The tunes mostly derive from Scottish strathspeys which were picked up by seasonal migrant workers from Donegal while in Scotland. The strathspeys were adjusted both in melodic and rhythmic terms so as to be used for the performance of the couple dance associated with the tunes.
This collection contains 325 transcriptions including 261 various highlands and 64 strathspeys as played by a wide number of source musicians from Donegal. The sources extend back as far as the fiddlers who were members of John McGettigan’s Three Leaf Shamrock Orchestra of the 1920s up to the present day. Transcriptions can be found from such well known seminal players as John and Mickey Doherty, Tommy Peoples, Danny Meehan, Francie Dearg and Mickey Ban Ó Beirn, Proinsias and Mairéad Uí Mhaonaigh, the Campbells, Neillidh Ó Baoighill, Con Cassidy and Dermot Byrne to lesser known but significant source musicians as Jim Doherty, Francie McHugh and Jimmy Lyons.
The text traces the current repertoire from the origin of the strathspey in the Spey valley in Inverness-shire and its first appearance in print in James Oswald’s 1745 collection to the present day.