The One-Horned Sheep

jig

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on October 5th 2004 by rfdarsie.

This tune has been added to 29 tunebooks.

Also known as An Sean Caor-Adrcac, The Boss, The Dog's Tail, The Humours Of Donnybrook, Old Horned Sheep, The Old Horned Sheep, The Old Horny Sheep, The One Horned Sheep, One-Horned Sheep, Pet In The Kitchen, The Pet In The Kitchen.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Beggar Boy Of The North by Greg Stephens And Crookfinger Jack
Cnoc Bui by Conal Ó'Gráda
Fonn Le Fonn by Tomas O'Ceannabhain
Riding Towards Life by Evergreen

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

X: 1
T: One-Horned Sheep, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
g2 G GFG|EGG DGG|g2 G GFG|EAG FED|
g2 G GFG|EGG DGG|EGG FGA|1 BGG G2 d:|2 BGG G2 D||
|:GBd dBG|GBd d2 D|GBd dcB|cBc A2 D|
GBd dBG|GBd def|gfe dcB|1 AGF G2 D:|2 ABc def||

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

One-Horned Sheep

I've played this one for years and was always clueless about the name - just figured it was a sheep with only one horn. Then an old Scottish fiddler I know told me that "one-horn sheep" is a slang term for a still (for making illicit whiskey) - the coil of wire is the "horn". Amazing what you can learn from the old guys...

# Posted on October 5th 2004 by rfdarsie

This is a great old tune - I believe it is Scottish, Aberdeenshire, or around the Buchan area, in origin.

# Posted on October 7th 2004 by Nick Splease

One-horned Sheep

This tune is very well known throughout the Borders and down into Northumberland too.
I didn't know about the still reference, but illicit distillation of whisky was also carried out at least down as far as Durham at least up till 1900.
Noel

# Posted on October 19th 2004 by noelbats

The Old Horned Sheep

This is "The Old Horned Sheep" with the alternative title "The Humours of Donnybrook". I am doubtful of claims that it's a Scottish jig, although it has been known in Scotland for a while. It was played by a bothy band on one of the Scottish Traditions LPs, and they made it SOUND so Scottish that I wonder if that's the reason?

# Posted on December 19th 2005 by nigelg

The Dog's Tail

recorded by this name on the Evergreen album (http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/267), it is dentical to the transcription here except for the last bar, which goes:
1| CBC A2D :|2 A3 A3

# Posted on February 6th 2006 by sixholes

Fiddler's Companion (1)

OLD HORNED SHEEP, THE (An Sean Caor-Adrcac). AKA and see “Bangor Regatta,” "Humors of Donnybrook." Irish, Double Jig. G Major (O’Neill): B Flat Major (Cranford). Standard tuning. AABB.

The melody appears to be an amalgam of two old Irish tunes, “The Humours of Donnybrook” and “Sweet Biddy Daly” (the ‘A’ and ‘B’ parts, respectively). It was first printed in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883) under the title “The Boss.” Donegal fiddler John Doherty played a version he called “The Pet in the Kitchen,” a reference to his fiddle. See also “Original One-Horned Sheep.” Source for notated version: Winston Fitzgerald (1914-1987, Cape Breton), had had the tune from his friend Don Brown who had learned it from O’Neill’s [Cranford]. Cranford (Winston Fitzgerald), 1997; No. 184, pg. 73. O'Neill (O’Neill’s Irish Music), 1915/1987; No. 169, pg. 93. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 55. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903/1979; No. 1026, pg. 192. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 238, pg. 53. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 108.

# Posted on September 30th 2009 by bdh

Fiddler's Companion (2)

ORIGINAL ONE-HORNED SHEEP, THE. Irish, Jig. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB.

O’Neill (1922) remarks: “An Irish song extolling the many good qualities of An sean caora adarcach in supplying drink, food, and clothing , to her owner, was sung to this air. No. 238 in O'Neill's Dance Music of Ireland is a sprightly variant” (See “Old Horned Sheep”). O’Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody), 1922; No. 120.

# Posted on September 30th 2009 by bdh