The Gallowglass

jig

Key signature: Aminor

Submitted on January 23rd 2003 by lazyhound.

This tune has been added to 67 tunebooks.

Also known as Gallowglass, Nathaniel Gow's Lament For His Brother, Nathaniel Gow's Lament For The Death Of His Brother, Nathaniel Gow's Lament On The Occasion Of The Death Of His Brother, Niel Gow's Lament For His Brother.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• At The Source by Celtic Spring
• Caise Ceoil by Various Artists
• Casey In The Cowhouse by Bobby Casey
• Ceol An Clair by Various Artists
• Each Other’s Shadow by Flaithrí And Eoghan Neff
• Flittin by Dave Swarbrick
• Irish Piping Tradition by Gay McKeon
• No. 2 Patrick Street by Patrick Street
• Northern Lights by Kevin And Seamus Glackin
• Out Of The Woods by Randal Bays
• Return To Inis Mor by Joe Derrane
• Sparks On The Flags by The Bridge Céilí Band
• Sweeter As The Years Roll By by James Keane
• The Best Of Patrick Street by Patrick Street
• The Chieftains 5 by The Chieftains
• The Dusty Miller by Conor, Gay And Seán McKeon
• The Factory Turn by Damian O'Brien And Oliver Loughlin With Arty McGlynn And Kevin Brehony
• The Flags Of Dublin by Paddy Glackin, Mick O'Brien And Mick Gavin
• The Hop Down by Breda Keville
• The Pure Box by Colin Nea
• The Spirit Of West Clare by Bobby Casey
• The Wind Among The Reeds by Tommy Keane And Jaqueline McCarthy
• Traditional Irish Music From County Clare by Eamon Cotter
• Traditional Irish Music Played On The Uilleann Pipes by Robbie Hannan
• Traditional Music From The Legendary East Clare Fiddler by Paddy Canny
• When The World Was Wide by Trouble In The Kitchen

X: 1
T: Gallowglass, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Amin
AB|cBA eBd|cAA ABc|BAG efg|BGG GAB|
cBA eBd|cea e2 d|cBA ^GAB|cAA A:|
ea|aga e=fd|cAA ABc|BAG efg|BGG G2 e|
aga e=fd|cAA e2 d|cBA ^GAB|cAA A2 e|
aga e=fd|cAA ABc|BAG e^fg|BGG G2 e|
aeg fdB|ecA BGE|ABc dBe|cAA A2||

This tune is played occasionally in sessions in Bristol. This version is from O'Neill.

# Posted on January 23rd 2003 by lazyhound

Has anyone any information about the meaning, if any, of "Gallowglass"?

# Posted on January 24th 2003 by lazyhound

Doesn't it mean a mercenary, or a soldier of some sort?

# Posted on January 24th 2003 by Zina Lee

Thanks, Zina. Looks like you're right. It certainly makes sense in view of the older alternative name of the tune.

# Posted on January 24th 2003 by lazyhound

trevor, my version of O'Neills has the Fs sharped in the first and third line, except where you have specifically put the natural in.

I love this tune -- tho the F naturals aren't easy on a keyless flute. What tempo do they play it at in Bristol? I always feel it should go slow-ish and stately despite it's being a jig, but I've never actually heard it.

# Posted on February 1st 2003 by Fsnockhart

The Gallowglass

I'm always amused by the Irish way of playing this as a jig when the original name is 'Nathaniel Gow's Lament For The Death Of His Brother'. Nathaniel Gow was Niel Gow's son and composed some great tunes this being one of his best.

# Posted on June 4th 2003 by iainr

Gallowglasses

Gallowglasses were Scottish mercenary soldiers, unless I'm greatly mistaken.

-Max

# Posted on December 4th 2003 by Max Becher

The Gallowglass / An Galloglach

A friend sent me this information:

A 'gallowglass' was the name for a mercenary soldier, often Scottish, who in ages past fought in Ireland. The Gaelic word is Galloglach which is a combination of two words: Gall, a foreigner (usuallly a Scot), and Oglach, a soldier. The term is also taken to mean a warrior who is so loyal to the clan that he is willing to die protecting his chieftain, either on the battlefield or in court. Harry O'Prey and Caoimhin Mac Aoidh explain that descendants of these warriors typically have the anglicized surname Gallogley or Gallogly, dervived from Mac Gallóglaigh, and is quite common to the north-western counties of Ireland, especially Donegal and Derry.

O'Prey writes: "Strangely enough another rendition of Foreign help(er) is found in the description gall-chabhair. This has also become a common surname in the same two counties. In Irish it is Ó Gallchabhair / Gallchóir anglicised variously as Gallagher / Gallaher etc. The original surnames of these soldiers have long since been forgotten."

# Posted on December 8th 2003 by nastyweegirl

Paul de Grae relates that "The Gallowglass" was the jig Cork accordion player Jackie Daly was playing in a pub in the mid-1990's when he collapsed with a serious medical problem. After a period of convalescence Daly fortunately recovered and quipped that he'd have to go back to the pub and play the whole tune, in case they thought he only knew the first bit of it!

# Posted on December 8th 2003 by nastyweegirl

Not by Niel but by Nat

As far as I can make out, Nathaniel Gow's Lament for the Death of his Brother is an adaptation of the Irish jig, An Galloglach/The Gallowglass. And a tune by Duncan McKercher called Lord John Scott's March is itself an adaptation of Nat Gow's lament. As an aside, Nat Gow's son Niel Gow Jnr, who died young, and whose tunes were published posthumously by Nat, wrote a tune called Lord John Scott's Strathspey.

You can find sheet music for An Galloglach/The Gallowglass Jig and Nat Gow's lament (or is it the Right Honourable Lord John Scott's March?!) on one page for comparison here:

http://members.tripod.com/~Hiestand/phantompiper/GALLOW.GIF

And a (slightly more rhythmic?) version of Nat Gow's lament is also printed in Ceol na Fidhle Vol 5/6 p10.

*Niel* Gow's Lament for the Death of his Brother Donald is a completely different tune, for which you can here a midi file here:

http://www.whitestick.co.uk/midi.html

But I can't find the dots on the web anywhere.

# Posted on December 8th 2003 by nastyweegirl

SHR

... for which you can find listed, and *hear*, a midifile here ...

# Posted on December 8th 2003 by nastyweegirl

The 'friend' who sent nastyweegirls information of 12/8/03 above lifted them verbatum from the 2003 edition of The Fiddler's Companion
www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers

# Posted on April 12th 2007 by Staggerin'

Must get my friends to teach me how to use cut & paste.

# Posted on April 12th 2007 by Dow

Another Version

X: 1
T: Gallowglass, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Amin
|:AB|c2A eBd|cAA A2B|c3 efg|dBG GAB|
c2A eBd|cAA e2d|cBA ^GAB|cAA A:||
|:a3 e^fd|cAA A2B|c3 efg|dBG G2e|
a^ga e^fd|cAA Aed|cBA ^GAB|cAA A2e|
a3 e^fd|cAA A2B|c3 e^fg|dBG G2e|
aeg ^fdB|ecA BGE|ABc dBe|cAA A2||

# Posted on April 14th 2008 by JACKB