This reel is a Shetland adaptation of the Irish hornpipe King of the Faeries. It was recorded in the 1950's by Shetland fiddler John Scollay, with his brother Peter on guitar. Scollay is a Shetland name of Norse origin.
This tune is also known as The Jolly Beggarman, Little Beggarman, An Giolla Ruadh, and by many other names. It was first published in the mid 19th century and is generally thought to commemorate a real-life rogue and bandit. It appears in a story about uilleann piper Donnchadh Ó Sé from Lóthar, who once heard a different tune being played by faeries at Faill an Mhada Rua. He learned the faerie's tune and found that each time he played it he would become ill for three months. Some time later, a rogue demanded him at gun point to play the faerie tune, but he got away with playing Red Haired Boy instead. It is widely known, has been picked up by the American old time and bluegrass communities, and is often played somewhat like a hornpipe.
