"The Butterfly"

No personal notes.

The Fiddler's Companion lists 5 tunes by this name (plus 3 called the Butterfly Reel...), the one we want is #3.

According to the FC, composition of the "The Butterfly" is credited to the late fiddler Tommy Potts, who knew the first two parts of the tune from his father, Sean, an Uilleann piper (the two-part tune appears in Coles 1000 as "Skin the Peeler" and "Barney's Goat"). Caoimhin Mac Aoidh gives that Potts was working in his garden one day when he noticed the erratic flight of a butterfly flitting about. Intrigued, Potts tried to mimick the rhythm of the insect while he continued to work in the garden, and was inspired to come up with the third part of the tune. The first two existing parts were altered rhythmically to fit. It has become a commonly heard tune at sessions, to the dismay of many who find overplaying has made it unpalatable. The tune is called "Skin the Peeler" by Highland bagpipers. "Barney's Goat" resembles the second and third parts of the slip jig. "Óró a Thaidhg a Ghrá" and "Stoneybatter" are related tunes.

From a contributor to the Session; "This is one of the few Irish tunes that can be played in rounds...Here's a tip from Stuart Hall for variation in the second part: play the D, the second note in part 2, as C-natural. More jazzy!"