Irish Flute Tunes

Here’s a nice hornpipe from County Clare.  Some nice things do come from that county, so I’m told.

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Here’s one I was asked for.  I’m not too sure of the second part so I looked it up.  I hope I didn’t mess it up too.  The tune itself should be nice enough and strong enough to survive the slight mangling I gave it.

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Here’s a nice, simple reel which is really a song.  I think I probably heard it on a recording of Michael Tubridy at some stage.

I stole my wife’s flute to play it here.  There could be a slippery slope here somewhere.

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I think this tune is also known as “The Brown Coffin”. I thought of the first title, and hence the tune, when I went into the kitchen to check on my dinner and was greeted by acrid fumes which made my eyes feel like I was wearing contact lenses made from slithers of onion. Now that I have eaten the dinner the second title is starting to annoy me.

I think this tune is much nicer than my cooking. I’ve moved it up one from the G minor key some people play it in.

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The first part of this tune seems to have about as many endings as prople who play it.  It’s a cheerful sort of tune for all that.

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Here’s a melodic sort of a tune.  It used to be the theme tune of the TG4 programme “Geantraí”.  It may well still be but it’s on past my bedtime these days so I haven’t seen it or heard its intro. for a while.

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This might be related to Scotch Mary’s tipple choices.  It’s definitely related to the Dublin Reel.  I’ve heard this tune called “The Cock’s Tail Reel” too.  As for this rendition (very ordinary), I can’t quite recall when I played it but I hope it isn’t so bad as to be offensive.

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Ta CW for reminding me of this tune on C&F. I’m never too sure about C# vs. Cnat in pt.3 but I love this reel.

As for Mary’s taste in whiskey (or whisky) … what’s wrong with Power’s or Jameson’s? (apart from the paranoia they induce)

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This was recorded by Tom Morrison in 1928 and probably by several other people since.  Maggie may be in them and I’m note sure that I’m out of them yet myself.

This is the 500th posting I’ve put on this site so I’m away for a lie down and to think of a few tunes for the next thousand.

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I once heard someone I know describe 2 women as being standing like “frillies in a field” but I have had little exposure to paddock based arums.

This is a fairly popular tune which seems happy to have as much or little done to it is one may prefer.

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Here’s a tune which seems to be going through my head a bit recently.  I think this os because Raidió na Gaeltachta are using it as the theme music for their pick of the week show “Rogha na Seachtaine”, which often seems to call out from my radio when I’m washing potatoes for dinner.  With the soon to arrive winter here, the tap water will get colder and I’ll get sore hands washing the spuds.  Three months of crunching at gritty tubas awaits me if I’m to save my fingers aching with the cold.

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Here’s the tune I used to hear at sessions all the time played along with Dinky Dorrian’s. For some reason it and Mr. Dorrian’s reel seem fairly absent from the sessions I hear these days. Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder. In my case it just makes my recollections of this, and of “Dinky’s”, grow vaguer.

In any case, here what remains of my recollections of it. I’m sure www land contains some less time-bevaguened versions.

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The Dermis can be taken from the feline by various means.  This one might be less painful (but you’d really have to ask Tiddles).

‘E’s between the ‘A’s in the second part seem the ease the journey a bit.  Just a notion but it might sound normal enough in a crowded pub.

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Here’s a reel which was released into the wild by Francie “Dearg” Byrne who was a fiddle player from Kilcar, Co. Donegal. It is often just known as “Dinky’s”. I was reminded of it by its being mentioned on the C&F flute forum today. I didn’t know it was a hard tune until I tried to play it here. I think it is easier on a bowed flute with strings but it is probably quicker to practice it a bit on the flute than to go off and learn the fiddle just for this one tune.

It’s worth getting hold of RTÉ’s CD “The Donegal Fiddle” to hear the late, great Mr. Byrne playing it.

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Here’s a single reel from Co. Clare.  I’ve always been well behaved when in Co. Clare so all I know of this courthouse is that it has a reel named after it.  I suspect it hasn’t heard the clatter of a gavel for some time.

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I’m never quite sure the title of this tune refers to someone’s name or is an instruction.

It is a very popular tune and is on a lot of recordings.  Packie Duignan recorded a particularly nice version of it.

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This reel started out as a perfectly respectable 2 part creation but Michael Coleman threw a whole pile of other bits at it.  He must of been either having a very bad or a very good day.

Here’s my attempt at remembering it.

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I don’t think I’ve recorded this one already.  If I have then the previous attempt is buried in the oblivion which befits its qualities.  This tune is probably usually played in something approaching A minor.  It also seems to quite like being played a key up the ways so I’ve ‘B’ ten as well.  I think that’s as far along the alphabet as I’ll venture today.

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Here’s a slide which gives its name to a great record of Juiia Clifford and Denis Murphy from Sliabh Luachra.  The name may have other connotations too but I don’t understand them, whatever they may be.

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Here’s a tune I was asked to play.  I haven’t chanced it for a long time as the clouds in the sky above here seem to have forgotten how to move so this tune never seem to come to mind.  It was composed, I think, by Neillidh Boyle who was a remarkable fiddle player from near Dunglow in Donegal.  His birdsong impressions are equally as memorable as his tunes about his cumulus companions.

I hope the tune survived my memory lapses and general inability to play at the moment.

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I don’t know much about this one apart from how it goes (sort of).

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I’m not sure what the name of this hornpipe refers to.  I far too young to remember ha’pennies. The “Poll” sometimes manifests itself as a “Paul”.  That makes things even less clear to me.

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Brendán Breathnach got this jig from James Byrne’s father John and included it in Ceol Rince na hÉireann vol. 2.  That was very considerate of him.

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I know the title doesn’t narrow down this tune’s identity particularly well.  Mind you, neither does “Gan Ainm” which is the other label I have for it.  You can hear it played properly on a record that Tommy Peoples and Matt Molloy made some time ago.

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Here’s a popular reel.  Mr. O’Connell’s had his followers too, in places.

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This is probably more messy than mossy the way I play it but it’s a good tune despite that.

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