My understanding, as well, is that Calum's composition did not have the
"dead love" motif. That, apparently, was added by revival singers
wanting to "make sense" of a fairly ambiguous song. There is also a
variant with a dream ending, which is again a later adaptation.
Jamie
James Porter wrote:
>According to Daniel O'Keeffe's First Book of Irish Ballads (1955), She
>Moved Thro the Fair was "adapted by Padraig Colum from an old ballad.
The
>generally used musical version is an adaptation by Herbert Hughes" (p.
>61). See also Hugh Shields, Narrative Singing in Ireland (1993). The
>McPeakes recorded it for The Folksongs of Britain first issued by
Caedmon
>between 1961 and c1968.
>
>It seems to me rather too easy to pronounce it non-traditional since
it is
>a complex case of a printed "adaptation" reentering oral tradition,
albeit
>with minor variations.>She moved through the fair was written by
Mcpeake
>not that long ago. I
>>cannot consider it traditional. He told me he wrote it (in about
1960) when
>>I met him.
>>
>>To be traditional it has to go through the process of acceptance,
variation
>>and transmission
>>
>>John Davis
>>
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