MANXMONDAYS #2 - ‘Bwoaill Baccagh'
Gura mie mooar eu/ thanks so much to everyone for their kind words about my first #ManxMondays video last week - it means a lot.
Incase you missed it, #ManxMondays is a new series of videos featuring Manx music that I’ll be posting every Monday throughout February on my Instagram and Facebook page.
This week features the cheery Manx tune ‘Bwoaill Baccagh’, that I learnt from the playing of Phil Gawne.
‘Bwoaill Baccagh’ (also known simply as ‘Bwoaill’) was originally played for a Manx dance of the same name. The dance, which was collected by Mona Douglas, involved 6 people who carried fisher’s knives in their belts (eek!). According to one source, each person would throw their knife down at the beginning of the dance before ‘saluting’ them. The dance would continue, featuring the difficult ‘frog step’, where they would dance in a squat position whilst kicking their feet forward. Along with the knives, another key feature of the dance seemed to be springing down to the ground and jumping back up throughout.
The dance would finish as it started, with everyone throwing their knives down. However, this time, during the last 3 beats of the tune, they would grab their knives and take them above their heads whilst shouting ‘hogh’ - a great Manx finish to the dance. Safe to say this would have been a workout… not to mention a complete health and safety hazard!
‘Bwoaill Baccagh’ is a lesser-known tune on the Isle of Man, and the origins of the name aren’t clear. ‘Bwoaill’ means strike/ hit in Manx Gaelic and could relate to the movements of the dance or even the knives... I didn’t know the ins and outs of the dance before researching the origin of the tune and this is another reason why I’m loving doing #ManxMondays - I’m learning more about my own music and culture!
Original music from 'Rinkaghyn Vannin'
The structure and notes of the tune have changed over time, making it more session friendly. The original B part is usually omitted and you might find it played something like this in sessions today (**this is how I would go about playing it, but other folk might have their own versions!). Click here to download a pdf version.
If you’d like to learn a little bit more about the tune or recreate the dance (with GREAT caution and no knives!), you will be able to find the original dots and dance sequences in ‘Rinkaghyn Vannin’ (Manx Dances) -
Isla Callister on 8th Feb, 2021
Sources:
1983. Rinkaghyn Vannin. [Isle of Man]: Sleih Gyn Thie.