Gordon learned the first part of "Gentle Maiden" so long ago he can't remember when or from whom it came. The second part he learned a few years ago from the group "The Sow's Ear" (Helen Stokoe, Ed and Jo-Ellen Bosson). Nick Apollonio taught "Planxty Irwin" to Gordon. It is one of the tunes attributed to the most famous of the Irish harpers, Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738), and bears the name of Colonel John Irwin of Sligo. Though found in collections written as a jig, the tune is now often played at a slower tempo as a waltz. The origin and meaning of the word "planxty" is perplexing. As used with the Carolan tunes, it means "a tune written in someone's honor." It may be a corruption of the old Irish word "slainte," meaning "good health." The tunes became a medley mainly because Annie Muir had some trouble remembering which was which! Perhaps this happy confusion just goes to show the natural affinity these lovely Irish melodies have for one another