Dillon's Fancy (reel)
I don't know which Dillon liked this one - Bob, Thomas or the rabbit from the Magic Roundabout, but I admire his, her or its taste.
Sep 09, 2007•2 min
Irish Flute Tunes
Traditional Irish Tunes Played on the Flute (iflute@googlemail.com)
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Episodes
Ask My Father
Here's a 12/8 single jig. It's a sort of pipey thing but a flute can think that it is a pipe when necessary.
Sep 08, 2007•2 min
The Humours of Whiskey (2)
There seem to be quite a few tunes with this name. Most of them are slip jigs. I think I know what causes them to slip. It took me about ten minutes to get anything even resembling a tune out of my flute this morning. I'm sorry if this tune sounds excessively reluctant.
Sep 07, 2007•1 min
The Scowling Wife
Here's a reel I think I heard from James Byrne who is a great fiddle player from Donegal. I'm not sure what scowling looks like (I've led a charmed life) so apologies if the attached image is erroneously selected.
Sep 05, 2007•1 min
Scatter The Mud (jig)
Here's a jig which doesn't seem to get just as much playing as it used to. Maybe scattering mud has been superseded by slinging it. This version is fairly close to the one on O'Neill's book although my copy is very old and grubby and it can be hard to tell whether some of the black marks are notes or just scattered bits of dirt.
Sep 05, 2007•2 min
The Jolly Tinker
Here's a tune referring to a multi tasking person who can also be drunken, yellow and have daughters. I'm sure there there are more things to add to that list too.
Sep 04, 2007•3 min
The Otter's Holt (reel)
Here's a popular reel. I've probably seen an otter as recently as I have played this reel until now and I hope the notes have more or less landed where they belong.
Sep 03, 2007•3 min
Tansey's Favourite
Here's a reel which shares part of its name with a well known flute player. I'll not say which part of the name applies. I might have played this one on my plastic flute but I'm not sure. I've been to Dublin and appear to have left most of my memory there.
Sep 02, 2007•2 min
Crowley's Reel (2)
This is probably cruelty to a Crowley but here's the second half of the pair anyway. I'm posting this in absentia (one of my favourite places) so it will probably be on the wrong side of the introduction for a day. I'm sure that all means nothing but I wanted to type it anyway. (This is another plastic flute experiment)
Sep 01, 2007•1 min
Jenny's Welcome to Charlie
Here's one I've been asked to play. I was never sure what to do with the first part (maybe play it on a fiddle) so I might be floundering a bit here. I hope I haven't mangled it too much. If I was Charlie and was welcomed by an attempt like mine here I wouldn't be too pleased with Jenny but I did try.
Aug 31, 2007•4 min
Crowley's Reel (1)
Here's a Crowley's reel. There are a few of them. Michael Coleman must have been a fan of Mr. Crowley as he recorded a few tunes named after him. I've played this one on my plastic flute. I hope Mr. Crowley doesn't mind.
Aug 31, 2007•1 min
The Reel of Sparks (Ríl na Drithleog)
I know that I heard this tune from the Donegal fiddle player James Byrne but I don't know for sure whether this is it's name. He does play one of this name so there's a chance I'm right. As for whether I remembered how it goes; who knows? I think it sort of goes like this. There's a record of James Byrne's playing which has this tune on it but I have it as an LP and my machine to making LPs sing has lost its voice and so I can't check.
Aug 30, 2007•2 min
The Floating Crowbar
Here's a tune I was asked to play and used to hear in sessions all the time. Maybe that's got something to do with the fact that I used to go to sessions all the time. I made slightly heavy weather of it here. Maybe I should try playing the crowbar and floating the flute.
Aug 27, 2007•2 min
The Holy Land
Here's a common reel. I played it here on a plastic flute. I'm not sure whether playing reels into a computer using a plastic tube is really all that wholesome, or holy for that matter. I'm pleased with the flute, though.
Aug 26, 2007•1 min
The Scottish Hunt
Here's a nice thing, except if you're a fox. I suspect no foxes ever look at this site so I'll not be overly concerned about upsetting any of them.
Aug 25, 2007•2 min
Big John's Reel
Here's a fairly popular reel from Fermanagh which I heard on a record of Cathal McConnell. That's all I have to say on the matter.
Aug 24, 2007•2 min
The Steampacket
This reel is also known as "The Mountain Lark". Neither playing with packets of steam nor larking on mountains are particularly safe activities but playing this tune on a flute should be fairly harmless.
Aug 24, 2007•2 min
The Maids of Mitchelstown
Here's a reel which fairly popular and which I like despite never knowing whether E, F natural of F sharp should be in second part. Here's a go at it anyway.
Aug 23, 2007•2 min
Gone For His Tea (reel)
Here's a nice reel which Michael Tubridy played on his LP "The Eagle's Whistle". I've been stealing a lot of tunes from that LP lately which is odd as I haven't heard it for at least ten years. I have it buried somewhere in my record collection which is, in turn, buried somewhere in my dust collection.
Aug 22, 2007•1 min
The Wheels of the World (jig)
There are world wheels of the reel variety but here are the ones in jig time. This jig can be found on one of Mary Bergin's records, among other places.
Aug 21, 2007•2 min
Tie The Ribbons
I had intended to post a different tune but I must have forgotten to upload it and as a result it is languishing on my computer at home. I, on the other hand, am languishing somewhere else. Here's this tune instead. I think Bobby Casey used to play it.
Aug 20, 2007•2 min
Josie McDermott's (The Trip to Birmingham)
Here's a reel written by the great flute / whistle / saxophone player and singer Josie McDermott. I think it was called as above but I'm not totally sure. I'm sorry about the minor choking fit towards the end. I should really rerecord the tune but I have to go out before the shop shuts.
Aug 19, 2007•2 min
Billy McCormick's Jig
Here's a jig which had this name put on it when it was put on "Kerry's Own" Paddy Cronin's LP. It was made into dots in Ceol Rince na hÉireann Vol. 3 (number 7). I don't think it's played all that often but it is a comfortable tune for playing on a flute.
Aug 18, 2007•2 min
Paddy Breen's Jig
Here's a nice jig (I have yet to admit to playing any horrible ones but I'm sure there are plenty of emetic melodies on this site) which comes from the tin whistle playing of Paddy Breen from Co. Clare. Michael Tubridy put it on his LP "The Eagle's Whistle". There's a recording of Paddy Breen to be got too, in case anyone is really keen. http://www.folktrax.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/menus/cassprogs/078.htm (26/09/2008 The link above doesn't work any more. This one does: http://web.archive.org/web/200...
Aug 17, 2007•2 min
The Crooked Road to Dublin
I might start using this road myself instead of the train which took 5 hours last Saturday to get there from Belfast. This is yet another popular reel which I hadn't remembered until now.
Aug 16, 2007•2 min
The Wise Maid
Here's yet another one that got away. This is close to the version the box player Joe Cooley from Peterswell, Co.Galway, played. He mightn't have had a blocked left ear, though. I think it's either blocked with bits of forgotten tunes or else maybe that's were all the odd socks are. The stereo version of this reel is very popular in sessions.
Aug 14, 2007•2 min
The Laurel Tree
Here's another tune which I thought I must have recorded already but doesn't come up in a search of this site. I suppose it's like so many other things I think I've ever learned which don't come up in a search of my head either. I seem to remember this reel being quite pleasant and also quite popular in sessions.
Aug 13, 2007•2 min
The Fairy Reel
I did a search for "Fairy" on this site and nothing came back for it. I'll take that to mean that this is the first time I have posted this tune. It's a fairly popular fairy tune.
Aug 12, 2007•3 min
Eddie Duffy's Reel
Here's a reel which I think comes from Fermanagh. Eddie Duffy came from Fermanagh so that's who I'm associating the tune with. This is all a but tenuous but it might be right despite my best efforts.
Aug 11, 2007•1 min
Apples in Winter
I was asked to post this popular jig so here it is. I've recently heard some people playing a couple of extra parts at the end of this tune. I get the impression that the only function of the other parts is to make those who play them feel pleased with themselves for being able to remember four bits all at once. As a two part jig I think it an excellent tune.
Aug 10, 2007•2 min
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