This is Lisa again.

In response to Moira, I would like to indicate two stories I'm aware of that have a faery song attached to them. The first is the much printed "Legend of Knockgrafton" in which a good-natured hunchback named Lusmore hears a faery song which has the refrain "Monday, Tuesday". At first he is enchanted, but then he grows tired of the repetition. So he waits politely for the end of the song, and adds his own twist to the tune, along with the lyric "Wednesday". The faeries whisk him off to their castle, praise him for his musical skill, and reward him by removing his hump. When an ill-natured hunchback tries Lusmore's trick, interrupting the faeries' song with his squawking, they punish him for his transgression by adding Lusmore's hump to his own. I actually have some bars of music to go with Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, found in a book called "The Song Lore of Ireland" by Redfern Mason.

The second story is a "cinder boy" one, where a younger brother is forced to stay home and do chores while his two older brothers go to gatherings to play their fiddles. A wee man shows up, and tells the lad to open the locked cottage door with his finger, since his brothers have taken the key. To his surprise, the door opens, and inside he finds a new fiddle waiting for him. Though he's never played before, the minute he picks up the fiddle a tune of unsurpassing beauty comes to him, which he calls "Finger Lock", and with which he wins the next fiddle competition, to the shame of his cruel brothers. My friend (a bagpiper) informs me there is a pipe tune with this title. Do any of you play it?

Hope these stories have been of interest. Moira, could you post your story to go with "the Faery Hornpipe"? I had trouble e-mailing you. Perhaps others would like to hear of it too.

Lisa.