Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Congress

reel

Key signature: Adorian

Submitted on July 22nd 2001 by Jeremy.

This tune has been added to 583 tunebooks.

Also known as Congress, The Congress.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

12 Little Devils by The Pack
25 Years Of Celtic Music (Disc 1) by Various Artists
A Week In January by Seamus Egan
Aengus by Aengus
An Fhidil, Sraith 2 by Sean Keane, Kevin Burke, Paddy Glackin And Seamus Creagh
Based On A True Story by The Old Dance School
Before Dawn by Harmony Glen
Call Of The Wild by Wild Asparagus
Cat In A Cannon by Needfire
Caught In The Moment by The Island Girls
Ceilidh House Sessions by Various Artists
Celtic Ceili by Various Artists
Clear The Dresser And Take The Floor by Emerald Ceili Band
Cora Smyth And Breda Smyth by Cora Smyth And Breda Smyth
Dance Music Of Ireland: Jigs And Reels by Various Artists
Dancing To Jigs And Reels by Various Artists
Days Of Doolin by Dulsert
Doublin' by Paddy Glackin And Paddy Keenan
Down From Bell Harbour by Chris Droney
Folk Music And Dances Of Ireland by Various Artists
Frankie Gavin And Alec Finn by Frankie Gavin And Alec Finn
Gaelic Roots by Various Artists
Give It Shtick by Matt Cranitch
Heatin' Up The Hall by Yankee Ingenuity
Hidden Ground by Paddy Glackin, Jolyon Jackson
In Praise Of Lissycasey by Various Artists
Instrumental by The Dubliners
Ireland's Best Session Tunes CD 1 by Waltons Recording
Legacy by Tommy O Sullivan
Live At Trinity Hall by Trinity Hall Session Players
Live: Rough Around The Edges by Syncopaths
Long Roads by Four Men And A Dog
Millvalley by DeReelium
Mna Na HEireann by Macalla
Na Draiodoiri by Na Draiodoiri
New Irish Harmonica by Brendan Power
No Doubt by Six Mile Bridge
On Oiche Go Maidin by O'aces
Open House by Kevin Burke
Plays The Irish Tenor Banjo by Kieran Hanrahan
Redpoint by Duncan Chisholm
Set Dances Of Ireland: Music For Listening And Dancing by Various Artists
Slaintemhath by Slaintemhath
Spades by Rapalje
Step This Way by David Lindquist
Swåp by Swåp
Temple House 2 by Temple House Ceili Band
The Best Of Irish Jigs And Reels Vol.1 by Various Artists
The Blue CD by Irish Session Tunes
The Boys Of Sligo by Dervish
The Clare Shout by Bobby Gardiner
The Corner House by The Irish Tradition
The Crooked Rose by Stockton's Wing
The First Measure by Pipedown
The Maid At The Well by Tony O'Rourke
The Mason's Apron by The Madden Brothers
The Rakish Paddy by Paddy Cronin
The Rights Of Man The Concert For Joseph Doherty by Various Artists
The Ring Sessions by James Kelly
The Ships Are Sailing by Comhaltas Concert Tour Group 1978
The Silver Spire by Karen Tweed
The Tap Session by Andrea Beaton
The Trip To Cullenstown by Phil, John And Pip Murphy
The Twilight Shift by SteamRadio
They Sailed Away From Dublin Bay by Liam Farrell And Joe Whelan
Throw Away The Keys by Brian Mac Aodha
Traditional Irish Music In America: The East Coast by Various Artists
True...Never Been Known To Lie by Knot Fibb'n
Two Gentlemen Of Clare by Gerard Commane And Joe Ryan
We'll Seek No More Engagements by Aidan Crossey
WhirlyGig by WhirlyGig
Whistle Wizardry by Vinnie Kilduff

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

I know that this tune was composed on the occasion of an actual congress (hence the title), but I'm fuzzy on the details. Does anybody know who composed this tune and what the occasion was?

# Posted on July 22nd 2001 by Jeremy

Congress

this tune was composed by gordon duncan, who has composed many a good tune such as clueless, break yer bass drone and the forth floor. Gordon Duncan is from Pitlochry, perth=shire in scotland and his tunes are becoming very popular at sessions around the highlands. Congress Reel can be heard on duncan chisholms album 'redpoint'

# Posted on July 22nd 2001 by *weescottishfiddler*

Congress Reel

I've always thought that the Congress Reel was from the 1920s or 1930s (certainly not Scottish in origin). Breathnach gives it in his Ceol Rince na hEirann, Volume 1, which dates from 1963, so the tune was in wide circulation before then. How old is this Gordon Duncan?

# Posted on July 22nd 2001 by Will CPT

I'm with Will on this one. While I can't recall the details, I'm pretty sure the congress in question was in Ireland (Belfast?) in the first half of the twentieth century.

I'm going to have to do some research on this.

# Posted on July 22nd 2001 by Jeremy

Aghhhhh, i was wrong

ooopppsie, on looking closly at music i realise i am speaking of another tune, with congress in the title. indeed the example on duncan chisholms 'redpoint' is the example shown here and is irish, always stated, traditional on any copy i have seen, sorry again, maybe you coudl erase my post in some way or another...maybe!!

# Posted on July 23rd 2001 by *weescottishfiddler*

For the record, I managed to find what the congress in question was. I asked about this tune on the IRTRAD-l discussion list and Jeff Lindqvist posted this from the Fiddler's Companion:

"It is said that this reel was composed in honor of the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, in 1932, or was popular around that time an the name became attached."

Now I can sleep again at night

# Posted on July 24th 2001 by Jeremy

A version as played by Kevin Burke

Here is the tune with a few neat twists to it that I got from an Irish fiddle class in 1991. The version is said to be played by Kevin Burke

# Posted on April 23rd 2002 by donnchad

Kieran Hanrahan

Played In set with "the cup of tea" and "Greigs pipes " On kieran Hanrahan-Plays the Irish tenor banjo.

# Posted on June 17th 2002 by Celtic1234

I wonder which came first? The Hunter's Purse or The Congress? The beginning and ending of the A part are very obviously almost exactly the same, so I wonder if there is any connection between the two.

# Posted on March 13th 2004 by Paddy

Congress Reel - what was that congress about?

The question was bandied about in a session yesterday. I vaguely remember that the Congress Reel was composed to comemmorate a political gathering to propose or agree on something back in the twenties or thirties or sometime a while ago (the key word here is vaguely).

Perhaps a historian of clearer memory can help? (They say as one ages, the memory is the second thing to go.)

Enquiringly,
Tim

# Posted on June 5th 2005 by Tim Crosby

Re: Congress Reel - what was that congress about?

12th May 1932-The International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.A Catholic Church Get-Together.My late father fondly remembered ,as a nine-year -old,the buses heading south from Belfast being stoned by orangemen as they passed through various parts of Counties Down and Armagh.Some things never change!

# Posted on June 5th 2005 by cos

Re: Congress Reel - what was that congress about?

Some things do. The Congress would probably be in Belfast if it was held today. This is not a snide comment by the way, just being objective. The make up of Belfast council has altered dramatically in the intervening period.

# Posted on June 5th 2005 by bodhran bliss

SecondThoughts

It always sounds like something to set up "Star of Munster". I don't need that much drama in my life. OTOH given it's recent popularity, guess I ough to give it another turn...

# Posted on July 12th 2005 by Owell Mabee

In B minor?

just wondering does anyone play this tune as it is notated (i think) in the breatnach book?
ie a tone up. I know its just a case of whats played generally and which way it will be played in sessions, but if breathnach notated there, maybe thats where it was "meant" to be played. It actually grows on you as well, and i find its a tune which deserves seperation from other similar A dorian tunes. and maybe the sharper B minor/dorian tone makes it more suitable for a controversial congress?

# Posted on November 15th 2005 by timo

ie into the controversial?

# Posted on November 15th 2005 by timo

or the reconciliation?

# Posted on November 15th 2005 by timo

A Scottish Smallpipe version (= has lots of gracenotes)

Below is a version I got off a fiddle player with C# instead of Cnat. because I don't have a Cnat, although he played Cnat.

X:1
T:The Congress
C:Traditional
M:2/2
K:D
(3Bcd |: {g}eA{G}AG {e}A2 (3Bcd | {g}ea{g}af {a}gf{g}ed | {g}eA {gAGAG}A2 {g}fA {gAGAG}A2 | B{g}B{G}BA {g}GA{g}Bd |
%
| {g}eA{G}AG {e}A2 (3Bcd | {g}ea{g}af {a}gf{g}ed | {g}c{e}c{G}cd {g}eg{a}ed | {g}(3cBA {g}BG {e}A2 (3Bcd :|
%
|: {g}ea{g}ag a{g}a{g}ag | {a}ea{g}ag {a}eg{a}dg | {a}eg{a}dg {a}eg{a}dg | {a}ea{g}ag ag{a}ed |
%
| {g}ea{g}ag a{g}a{g}ag | {a}ea{g}ag {a}eg{a}ed | {g}c{e}c{G}cd {g}eg{a}ed | {g}(3cBA {g}BG [1 {e}A2 (3Bcd :| [2 {e}A4 |

# Posted on May 3rd 2006 by patrickmclaurin

My party tune

this tune has been a favorite of mine for a long time now. i like to play this tune in a set of Dick Gossips/Congress/Mountain Road

# Posted on October 8th 2006 by banjoplayingmaniac

It's about sex

congress = sexual congress? I dunno, just a guess. It's pretty sexy when *I* play it ;-)

# Posted on March 24th 2007 by chris stolz

Version from Breda Smyth's track Bachelor's Walk... at least the way I think I heard it.
X: 1
T: Bachelor's Walk #2
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
||:~e3~(A A2) (3Bcd|e2 ~a2 gedg|eAAG ABcA|BBAB ec^df|
|~e3~(A A2) (3Bcd|e2 ~a2 gedc|BA (3Bcd ~e3d|1cABG A2d2:|2cABG A2(3Bcd||
||:e2ab ~a3g|eaag ee^df|ee^df ee^df|(3efg fg gedg|
|e2ab ~a3g|eaag eedc|BA (3Bcd ~e3d|1cABG A2 (3Bcd:|2cABG A2d2||

# Posted on July 19th 2007 by bay

The Congress Jig

"Sliabh Russell" is listed as the Congress jig on a different tune database, but here's my version, which is closer to the original reel setting:

# Posted on December 1st 2007 by slainte

One of the catchiest tunes ever written I think. Sounds pretty interesting in Amix too.

# Posted on March 4th 2008 by JosephofCK

I'm listening to Claire Keville's rebroadcast of the interview she did two years ago with the late Kitty Hayes. She played the Congress in D dorian, with a B flat in the 7th bar of each part.

# Posted on June 18th 2008 by GaryAMartin

The Second Congress

I wonder if anybody will be composing a 'New' Congress Reel to commemorate the second Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, after Pope Benedict's announcement that Dublin will host the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in 2012 ?

# Posted on June 23rd 2008 by Ah, Surely!