I asked this in another thread but the thread was locked, so where we go:
Who was the Colonel Fraser after whom the reel is named?
There was a Colonel Simon Fraser (later General) who lead the 78th Regiment, Second Highland Battalion of Foot (78th Fraser Highlanders) during the Battle of Quebec in 1759. I wonder if there is any connection?
Anyway… listen L.Barry’s version(“Mind the pipes” )amazing one…
ask then again.
Seamus Ennis wrote…
The Braes of Busby is probably an Ulster fiddle - players’ reel, It falls in with that dialect of fiddle playing and “brae” is a Northern and Scots word. I learned this whilst in my 'teens from he piping of the late Dan Nugent of Dublin whom I’ve seen play himself to sleep on his chair with this same tune! Colonel Frazer is melodically very close to it. It is not known who was Colonel Frazer, but the beautiful melody of this reel would show that he was an honoured and well-liked man. It is one of a select number that never goes under any other title, nor is the title erroneously given to any other tune…
Given his work was that of researching and archiving the music I guess that is it.We don’t know who he was.
Slán Agat
Uilliam
Well, we know Ennis didn’t know who he was. Ennis didn’t know where Sliabh Russell was either. These days a resort hotel bearing it’s name advertises in the Irish Times regularly so we know where we can find it now : in Co Cavan. 
Was Ennis suggesting that it was an Ulster Scots tune? If so, it might be another piece of the puzzle. The Simon Fraser I referred to above was born in Scotland. Here’s a biographical link.
The 78th Fraser Highlanders, was disbanded shortly after the end of the 7 Years War but was reformed in 1967 and has several well organised pipebands. Currently there are 6 or 7 garrisons of the Frasers in the US and Canada.
After a Guiness or three Ennis certainly didnae know who he was or for that matter where he woz 
Slán Go Foill
Uilliam
Often wondered about this myself.
I’m sure I read of Seamus Tansey saying somewhere that Colonel Fraser was a Sligo land-owner, at some unspecified period in history. If I can track that down, I’ll get back to you.
Got it !! 
see highlighted below…
COLONEL FRASER (An Ardtaoiseac Fraser). AKA – “Colonel Frazer.” AKA and see “The Donaghmore,” “Malloy’s Favorite,” “Molloy’s Favourite [2],” “The Green Fields of Ireland.” Irish, Reel. G Major (‘B’ and ‘D’ parts) and G Mixolydian (‘A’ and ‘C’ parts) [O’Neill/Krassen & 1915]: G Major (Mitchell, O’Neill/1850 & 1001). Standard. ABCDE (Mitchell): ABCC’DE (O’Neill/Krassen): AA’BCD (O’Neill/1915, 1001 & 1850): AABBCCDDEE (Taylor). The tune is a favorite of uilleann pipers, and is known as one of the ‘big’ piping tunes. It was first recorded on a wax cylinder by Irish-American piper Patsy Touhey (1865-1923), whom Francis O’Neill said was a “genial, obliging and unaffected wizard of the Irish pipes.” Seán Keane identifies it a reel from the north Midlands and Sligo areas. The title appears in a list of tunes in the repertoire of Philip Goodman, the last professional and traditional piper in Farney, Louth, made at the Feis Ceoil in Belfast in 1898 (Breathnach, 1997). A two-part version “Colonel Fraser” is also to be found in the c. 1880’s County Leitrim collection of fiddler and piper Stephen Grier of Farnaght. Petrie published a four-part setting under the title “Green Fields of Ireland,” and Breathnach (1985) finds “Colonel Fraser” related to “Malloy’s Favourite.” See also the related “Duke of Leinster’s Wife.”
Flute player Seamus Tansey relates that Colonel Fraser was an English landlord in Leinster, a man of good temperment who was kind to his tenantry and to travelling pipers. He bought one piper a set of new pipes and had this tune composed for him in gratitude. Tansey said the piper was inspired by the sight of the Colonel galloping on his horse to the hunt, “It’s like the ‘Fox Chase’, but different." In 1959 Kerry fiddler Denis Murphy (1910-1974) recorded it in Dublin in a medley with “The Steampacket” and “The Kerry Reel [1].” Sources for notated versions: piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, west Clare) [Mitchell]; set dance music recorded at Na Píobairí Uilleann, late 1980’s [Taylor]. Lyth (Bowing Styles in Irish Fiddle Playing), vol. 1, 1981; 78. Mitchell (The Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 87, pgs. 78-79. O’Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 104. O’Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903/1979; No. 1246, pg. 234. O’Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 520, pg. 98. O’Neill (O’Neill’s Irish Music), 1915; No. 243, pg. 128. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Blue Book), 1995; pg. 28. Vallely (Play Tin Whistle with the Armagh Pipers Club), vol. 3; 21. Claddagh Records CC17, Seán Keane ‑ “Gusty’s Frolics” (1975). Drumlin Records, Brian McNamara – “A Piper’s Dream.” Gael-Linn CEF 045, “Paddy Keenan” (1975). Green Linnet GLCD 1074, Jerry O’Sullivan – “The Invasion” (1987). Rounder CD 1087, Denis Murphy – “From Galway to Dublin” (1992). Shaskeen Records OS‑360, Joe Burke, Andy McGann, Felix Dolan ‑ “A Tribute to Michael Coleman” (c. 1965). Conal O’Grada – “The Top of Coom.” Tara CD3034, Liam O’Flynn – “The Given Note” (learned from Leo Rowsome). Viva W103, Sean McGuire – “Irish Jigs and Reels” (c. 1960’s, a reissue of “Sean Maguire Plays,” the first recording of McGuire that Josephine Keegan accompanied on piano).
X:1
T:Colonel Fraser
M:C|
L:1/8
R:Reel
S:O’Neill – 1001 Gems (1907), No. 520
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
R:Reel
K:G
dc|:BGAF D>G (A}(3GFG|AFcF dFcF|BGAF DGGg|1 fdcA d2 cA:|2 (3fed cA BG G2||
dggf g2 bg|fdcB ABcA|Gg{a}gf gbag|fdcA BG G2|gfge d2 dc|(3Bcd BG ABcA|
GBAc (3Bcd eg|fdcA BG G2||B>d (3ddd BGdG|AFcF (3ABc AF|B>c (3ddd BGdG|
cAFG AG G2|B>d (3ddd BGdG|AFcF (3ABc AF|(3GAB (3ABc (3Bcd eg|fdcA BG G2||
(3BcB GB (3BdB GB|(3ABA FA (3AcA FA|(3BcB GB (3BdB GB|{d}cAFG AG G2|
(3BcB GB GBGB|(3ABA FA FAFA|GBAc (3Bcd eg|fdcA D2 cA||
That should do it.
Slán Go Foill
Uilliam
Well done.
Where did you get this from?
Ceolas/The Fiddler’s Companion, I’m guessing. Lots of stories about tunes in there.
I’ve Tansey on tape talking about how Jennie’s Chickens refers to a fowl woman from 'round Sligo.
Braes of Busby is Braes of Bushbie in old books, as a Gminor strathspey.
Hmm…I had always been under the impression (& I could swear I could recall hearing…) that Colonel Fraser/Frasier/Frazer/Frazier/etc. had started off as a Scottish reel that entered the Irish tradition via 18th Century Scottish fiddle collections, along with “Rakish Paddy/The Old Bush”, “The Dogs Among The Bushes”, “Lucy Campbell”, “Miss Ramsay”, “The Fairy Dance”, “Jenny Dang/Bang The Weaver”, “The Back of the Change House”, “Cregg’s Pipes”, and many, many other tunes. Unlike most of the tunes above, I’ve never heard of anyone playing a “pre-Irish”-version, though.
The name “Jenny’s Chickens” may indeed refer to some old woman in Sligo, but the tune itself is a B minor variant of a very old two-part Scottish reel in A mixolydian called “Drowsy Maggie” (different from the E minor Irish reel of the same name). That name refers to the lazy movement of a top as it slows.
The SLIEVE Russell hotel which is situated near Sliabh RUSHEN is indeed in Cavan. It is just outside Ballyconnell, and the mt Sliabh Rushen touches both Counties Cavan and Fermanagh.