Irish Flute Tunes

I’ve just found my poor, neglected George Rudall flute in the cupboard under the stairs. The thing is around three million years old (early 1820s - is that just 2 million then?) and Sam Murray rescued it a bit more recently than the 1820s.

It’s not firing on all cylinders due to my neglect but I thought this reel would be a fairly gentle device for coaxing it back into some sort of life.

I heard this tune on Michael Tubridy’s excellent “Eagle’s Whistle” LP.

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This title sounds more like some sort of cherry-topped cup cake but the tune itself sounds like a reel. It’s another tune from a many years ago maestro. In this case, the fiddle player James Morrison.

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A lot of horses (and a very good Londis supermarket as far as I recall).  This reel was made famous by Michael Coleman who recorded it many years ago.  That could really have gone without saying as he died many years ago.  I heard people saying they knew a tune so well that they could play in in their sleep but never …

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Here’s a tune which I’m glad to be able to put on here.  I glad to and an on here at all.  The site www.went away for a while but the hosting people kindly got it back for me.

This tune was previously recorded by a flute player called Matt Molloy.  I’m sure some people may have heard of him.

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Here’s another Reavy tune - a barndance this time.  I’m a bit rusty at it but you should get the idea.

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Here’s a jig from Mr. Reavy. I’m told it can break a person’s arm with one of its wings,

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Here’s a reel composed by Edward V. Reavy.  I fear it may be somewhat decomposed here by Michael J. C.  Reavy’s tunes are usually robust enough to survive even my minor brutalities.  Hopefully this version is learnable.

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Here’s a good tune (197 in Ceol Rince na hÉireann 3 is almost the same as this version). I played the bits twice in the slower version. I think once is more normal - the unity of one and all that.

There’s a bit of the bass of a Richard Thompson CD coming through the ceiling too - hopefully not enough to get me into bother for copyright infringement.

I was feeling guilty for neglectful cruelty to a website. Hence the three tunes in the one day.

I’m away out now to play some in a pub.

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Here’s a reel named after the Kerry fiddle player Denis Murphy - sorry Johnny Cronin.

I’m not sure whether to play the parts single or double.  I never thought counting up to 1 would be such a challenge.

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Here’s a reel in A minor. It often appears in G minor but my fingers aren’t feeling too Geed up just yet. It’s a nice one for the flute in this key too.

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Here’s an ornate sort of hornpipe from Paddy Taylor’s playing.

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Here’s a hornpipe which I think De Dannan did.

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This poor jig is much maligned.  To add insult to injury I’ve put it in the 1100 rpm spin cycle towards the end. I think it recovered eventually.

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Here’s a slightly out of season reel.

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I great piping reel. Sure, the flute’s only a wooden pipe anyway.

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It probably is … G & T

(I’m sorry if I’ve played this already, although I don’t think I have)

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Here’s a fairly melodic reel.  I can never make out what they’re chattering about.

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It can be a bit inconvenient when they do that.

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Here’s a nice hornpipe from the South West.

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I heard this reel from the fiddle playing of John Doherty.  He played it in “G”.  I’ve tried it in “G” and then “A”.  I’m told a nine pint coggie is a vessel which holds nine pints of beer.  I know a few two-legged coggies (although the number of legs  diminishes as the pint count increases).

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I’ve never investigated what this name is about.  It’s probably just “Fasten the Legging” but even that’s quite far from the first think I’d look up in a phrasebook prior to going on holiday.

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A nice simple reel.

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Here’s a Sliabh Luachra thing, I think.

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A gardening Jig

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Here’s a good reel for the flute.

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A ringing jig.

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Don’t be late.

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Here’s a Denis Murphy tune with a great name.

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Here’s a good standard jig.  It seems to get  a bit neglected these days.

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I’ve always wanted this to be the salamander reel. The picture is of a salamander from the Spanish Armada. Maybe it came from Salamanca. It was very kind of the Ulster Museum to lend it to me.

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