Irish Flute Tunes

The Creel of Turf

Here's a popular jig dedicated to some semi fossilized plants which usually get thown on a fire.

The Lass of Ballintra

Here's one which Seán McGuire played.  It's reasonably flutable for all that.

Toss The Feathers

Here's a very very popular reel.  As for the activity described in the title, I know little of it.  The limit of my experience of plumage related activities would be the odd unsuccessful attempt at ruffling.

John Doherty's Cameronian Reel

The Donegal fiddle player John Doherty played a few tunes which he called "The Cameronian Reel", none of which are the normal one of that name. This one was also recorded by Michael Coleman at some stage but I can't remember what he called it. I've played the first part single here. It maybe ought to be double, or maybe I would have been better leaving both parts out completely.

The Broken Lantern

I never had a name for this jig but it appears as "The Broken Lantern" in Ceol Rince na hÉireann vol. 5.   This is more or less the version in that book too.

Around The World For Sport

Here's a popular reel which is sometimes also called "The Sword in The Hand" - worth two in the bush.

Kitty in The Lane

If this playing of this reel sounds bad, I'm blaming a big toe infection.  It's making tapping time very uncomfortable.

The Flower of The Flock

The name of this reel always reminds me of wallpaper.  I suspect I'm missing the point but I see more walls than birds or other flocking creatures in my daily life.

Miss McGuinness

Here's a reel which sounds like a few others but isn't any of them. It's a great tune for playing on the flute.

The Green Fields of America

Here's a reel celebrating the colour (color) of the grass in the USA.  Willie Clancy was one person who played this tune.

The Devils of Dublin

This reel seems to be a Sligo thing (recorded by Michael Coleman and his ilk).  I'm not sure exactly which Baile Átha Cliath Beelzebubs are referred to in its title.

Down The Back Lane

Here's a piping jig usually associated with Willie Clancy.  (It may well not usually be associated with him at all but I couldn't think of anything else to write.  Willie Clancy did play it, though).

The Navvy on The Shore

Here's a very flutish sort of reel.  It's a good one for just blowing at and flapping the digits a bit.

Old Hag You have Killed Me

Here's a piping jig which Willie Clancy and then the Bothy Band made popular. I'll not write anything about its name.

The Humours of Westport

Here's a reel which is often in 'F'.  I have it here in 'D' and 'G', either of which are a bit flutier.  'F' is often better for spelling a flute than playing one.

Tommy Bhetty's Waltz

Here's a waltz for a change. It comes from Fermanagh and goes more or less like this.

Swinging on the Gate

Here's a reel I was asked to play.  Make sure you ask the gate owner's permission before trying this.  I remember being shouted at as a child for just climbing on a gate, let alone  oscillating on it.

Rip the Calico

Here's a very popular reel.  It is particularly suited to the flute.

The Garden of Daisies

Here's a set dance or long dance.  I'm afraid the daisies are a bit wilted here but hopefully someone out there will revive them.

Martin Mulhaire's Number 9

Here's one which I was sent a while ago (thanks Billy) and have only got around to posting now.

Rolling in The Barrel

I know about rolling out the barrel. Here another way to barrel roll. This tune is on a record of PJ Hayes and Paddy Canny.

Gillian's Apples (2)

Here is the four part 'D' version of the previous jig.

Gillian's Apples (1)

Here's a jig the title of which sometimes states the apples as being Gillan's and not Gillian's. As Gillan is just a Gillian with an eye missing then bad spllenig probably accounts for this.  There are two main versions of this tune.  Here's the two part one in G.

The Old Copperplate

This is the one some people call "The Copperplate" while calling the one I call "The Old Copperplate" "The Copperplate".  If you search this site for "Copperplate" you'll find the one I call "The Copperplate" sandwiched between 2 other tunes which I neither call "The Copperplate" nor "The Old Copperplate".  I hope that clears up any potential confusion.

The Plough in The Stars

Here's a reel written by Larry Redican. I could never really get all that constellation stuff (or anything to do with the universe for that matter). The nocturnal lanterns all just look like dots to me. I'd love to be able to look up and see "Ursa Minor" or "Pegasus" or "The Sturmey Archer 3 Seeed Hub" but all I get are dots. Nice Reel though. Thanks again, C. (The rest of the list is going to require a bit of head scratching - hard to do while playing a flute but nothing ventured ...)

The Hunter's House

This is another of Reavy's tunes.  I had to check in a book of his tunes to see which one matched this name.  I then had to check the order in which my fingers waggled in order to bring my version towards some sort of approximation of the way he had written it. Hopefully this version should be close enough to play with people with better powers of recall than mine. It is one of Reavy's most popular reels.

The Green Gates

The picture is just a blatant ploy to allow me to quote Sherlock Holmes when asked what had happened to the gates ... "Lemon entry, my dear Watson" (primary school, 1975). This is a very popular reel, again from my new list (thankyou). I hope all gates that should be, are now very verdant indeed.

The Cúil Aodha Jig

Here's another one from my new list.  I hope it's the right one. I've already played it as "Amhrán an Tae" (The Tea Song) but as I used a different key and a different name, I'm claiming that it is a different tune. It's a good tune to exercise the G sharp key although the wee finger on my left hand seemed fairly reluctant to be party to procedure.  I think I'm going to play tunes with no notes in them at all for the next while - sort of John Cage on the flute.

Jenny's Chickens

Here's a reel which I've recently been reminded of.  It has been recorded by many people in the past, none of whom made it sound as foul or paultry has it does here.

The Jug of Punch

This is actually a picture of a jug of Tasmanian Iced Tea but it looks quite nice.  The picture I first found of a punchbowl had something disgusting in it. Talking of things disgusting, I afraid the playing here isn't all that pretty but it might be OK as a raw material for someone else to make a tune from.

The Old Dundeen

Here's a tune about a Dundeen.  It's the first reference to Dundeens I've heard today. I think the fiddle player Paddy Killoran recorded this when the Dundeen was not just quite as old as it is now.

The Broken Bridge Hornpipe

Here's a hornpipe from a new list of tunes I have.  I first heard it in 'A' but my fingers refused to acknowledge this and I've played it here in 'G'.

The Fisherman's Island

Here's a Reavy tune which is often just known as "Reavy's".  I don't know why.

Molloy's Favourite

Here's a good tune.  It's particularly good at being the one after the one before it.  Paddy Killoran made a good job of it on a record about 70 years ago.

Buckley's Fancy

A nice reel which is nice to play.  All very nice indeed.

O'Rourke's Reel

Here's a very popular reel. I'm surprised I hadn't put it on the site before now. It suits most instruments which people use for playing Irish traditional music. The ones it doesn't suit are probably just too hard to please, or to be pleased with.

The Wedding Reel

Here's a tune I was asked to put on.  I wasn't aware of knowing a "Wedding Reel" so I just made a stab at this version: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/518 .  It's more a "Reading Reel" here and in order to expunge some of my most dodgy notes it may have to be a "Weeding Reel". I've played the second part as plainly as possible here.  I suspect some people (especially a few in the list on thesession.org of those who have recorded it) might put a bit of syncopation into this part but I'm around eighty million percent allergic to that particular activity in most traditional tunes.

Paddy Clancy's Jig

Here's a nice jig which I stole from the same place as the previous two tunes.

The Tar Road to Sligo

Another bit of Bothy Band booty.  A Tar dis to Sligo would be handy.  The roads are better now than they were but it's hard to find them under all the cars.

Patsy Geary's Jig

Here's the first of today's "sure he's just nicking tunes of Bothy Band records now" tunes.  I stole it from a Bothy Band record.  Ir's a sort of slide / jig but I'll keep it in the jig section as I'm too far north for sliding.

The Road to Lisdoonvarna

Not much to say about this tune ... common as muck but feels better in the ear than muck. As with most common tunes it's common because it's a good tune and so people like it.  It's also a good reel for learning on the flute, without too many "funny bits".

An Charraigín Rua

Here's a Micko (or is it Micho?) Russell reel.  It sounds a bit like something else - don't they all? I'm never sure about the Micko / Micho thing. A badly written "k" can have a fair bit of "h"iness about it so maybe they're the same thing.  I'm sure there are plenty of people who know the answer to this crucial question.

The Boys of Tandragee

I think this jig is from a song : "The Roll-ick-ing Boys of Tan-der-a-gee". All I know of Tandragee is that the Northern version of Tayto crisps are made there.  Whatever about other questions of nationality, surely the two Tayto communities in Ireland could come together.

The Humours of Lissadell

Here's a great reel for flute, fiddles or flugelhorns.  I'm working of the layout for an irish fluglehorn tunes site but it's not ready for air yet.

Seán sa Cheo

Here's a reel to get misty-eyed about while you travel out on the high Cs.  If you know any fiddle players who haven't quite got round to playing elevated notes it can be a fairly passable recreation to watch their various ways of playing the second part of this reel.

Ríl Gan Ainm

Here's a good flute tune. I don't know what it's called. It can be found, among other places, in the book "Trip to Sligo" among the tunes from the South Sligo flute player and singer, Colm O'Donnell.

Miss Monaghan

If someone could clone Clones then there would be no need to miss Monaghan ever again. Sorry for trotting out the same puny pun as before. I have no imagination. This reel is a good stalwart of sessions and recordings wherever Irish traditional music is played.  I hope this version is OK.

Miss McDonald's (2)

Someone else misses it too. Here's another pelt peeling for poor felix. I've not played this tune for years as there used to be someone living here who played it all the time.  The only thing more annoying than that was almost any other tune he played.  My immune system is just beginning to allow the tune back into my head now.

Miss McDonald's

Like ways to skin a cat, there is more than one set of notes to make a Miss McDonald's Reel. This is a nice light sort of a one. I've been mostly dining on stout, gin, water and nervously nibbled nails over the last while - not a burger in site. I can't say that I miss McDonald's at all. In fact I'd be happy if the one in the centre of Belfast wasn't there. It makes the surrounding area smell of stale fat which isn't very nice for the tourists who are waiting across the road for their rain soaked open top bus tour of the city. At least when the bus arrives it takes them away from the smell of I'm Lovin' It.

The Corner House

Here's a nice reel I was asked to play (is this it, M?). I used to hear this tune more than I do now.  Maybe that's just because I need my ears syringed.

Courting Them All

This sounds like the stage between mass arrests and sentencing. I think this tune is on a record of Kevin Burke and Jackie Daly.  I know it is in CRÉ 3, number 119 as that's where I stole this version from.

Killannan's Fancy

I never knew the name of this tune and seems to have about 6.3 half versions of it floating around in my head. While I was in the process of stealing tunes out of Ceol Rince na hÉireann Vol 3, I found this version with this name.  It is number 116 and comes from Roger Sherlock's flute playing.

Pull The Knife and Stick it Again

Here's a tune I was asked to play.  It's on Matt Molloy's first record.  I don't know where he got the tune or the name from.  It sounds a bit odd played slowly but here goes ... (The quicker version seems to recover its composure a bit) Brendán Breathnach put it in Ceol Rince na hÉireann 3 (No. 12) in case you want to see the dots, or blood spatters.

Lománach Cross

Here's a flute friendly sort of reel.  Brendán Breathnach got it from Denis Murphy but it appears on a few other people's records, including one of Mary Bergin and one of Matt Molloy. My playing here is more Lame Knack Cross than Lománach Cross but hopefully it is still a cross that is possible to bear.

Lucy Campbell

I must have pressed the wrong buttons on the recorder.  Poor Lucy sounds like she's calling for rescue from an oil drum, or maybe it's a big soup tin. This is a good sturdy reel of Scottish stock - more soup.  I hope Lucy isn't stuck in an echoey BROTHel.

Seán McGuire's Reel

Here's a common enough reel named after a far from common fiddle player.  The tune may well have other names but this is what Roger Sherlock called it on a record.

Port Sheáin tSeosaimh (Old Joe's Jig)

Here's a jig Mary Bergin recorded.  It's not a long way to Old Tipperary from this tune on the same record.

The Wexford Reel

Here's a tune Brandán Breathnach collected from the South Sligo whistle player Jimmy McGettrick and included in Ceol Rince na hÉireann 2, number 215.

The Maid Behind the Bar

Here's the one after the one before it.  This tune is fairly hyperphenominally popular and can be found rattling around sessions everywhere.  I'd imagine Miltown Malbay is getting its fair share as we speak.

Patsy Touhey's Reel

Here's a reel named after a great Co. Galway piper who moved to America and made a great success of his career as a musician and entertainer. I believe he was hyperphenominal. I just impaled my food (I meant to write "foot" - never ask a spellchecker to make your dinner - fish fingers are where I draw the line)  on a cassette (pre-recorded / legal and all that) of Matt Molloys's first record. Never walk round an untidy house with bare feet. Anyway, this tune is on that record. I had to keep time here with my wrong foot as the right one was (and is) still sore. I hope this hasn't interfered with the flow.

The Drunken Tinker

Here's one a good friend reminded me of recently. I'll now maybe give my poor old Rudall / Willis / Murray creation a chance to rest and settle into its newfound freedom from its 3 year long subescalatory incarceration.

Elanor Keane's Reel

Here's an Ed. Reavy composition.  I was reminded of it this week by the fiddle player Dónal O'Connor - one of Dundalk's finest musical exports to Belfast.

The Maids of Mullaghmore

Here's another John Doherty tune. He's been ringing in my ears of late. I remembered after playing the tune that this old flute has low C keys.  Maybe I should have used the C# key in the first part.  On second thoughts, I shouldn't have.  That note belongs on a fiddle.

The Oak Tree

Here's a John Doherty sort of reel. I can't remember how many times each to play the parts. I was out playing last night and the person who started this very same tune had a similarly random approach to this matter also.

Life is All Chequered

Like a cheap Parisian tablecloth or an Irish Times crossword, or maybe a flag you find by driving far too fast. I'm carrying on with my poor George Rudall's rehabilitation so please forgive the fluffier bits in this playing.