Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

MacArthur Road

reel

Key signature: Emajor

Submitted on December 4th 2003 by patrick cavanagh.

This tune has been added to 230 tunebooks.

Also known as Bóthar Mhic Artair, Easy Club Reel #2, McArthur Road, Old But Happy At 63, Why Would You Call It That?.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

At The Source by Celtic Spring
Ceilidh by Bun' Ber E
Dance Music Of Ireland: Volume 12 by Matt Cunningham
Farewell And Remember Me by Boys Of The Lough
Fire And Grace by Alistair Fraser With Natalie Haas
Grand Tour: Traditional Music On Piano by Eric Eid-Reiner
Greenfire by Greenfire
In My Hands by Natalie MacMaster
In The Morning Early by Tulca Mor
Live-Disc 1 by Natalie MacMaster
Oisre by Oisre
Sin E by Sin E
Sneeze by Heyfeva

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

X: 1
T: MacArthur Road
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Emaj
|:BG (3GGG Bcef|gfeg fece|f3g fece|acgc fece|
BG (3GGG Bcef|gfeg fece|f3g fecB|1 cefg e2z2:|2 cefg efga||
be(3eee bec'e|bege fece|f3g fece|aege fece|
be(3eee bec'e|bege fece|f3g fecB|cefg efga|
be(3eee bec'e|bege fece|f3g fece|aege fece|
BG(3GGG Bcef|gfeg fece|f3g fecB|cefg e2z2|

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

MacArthur Road

Apparently written By Dave Richardson of the
Bouys in the Lough. I leaned it from my friend
Michael Lesley, flute player, who plays it on an
Olwell bamboo flute keyed to E. I find myself wondering
what key it was composed in originally. ABCs for it
in the key of D can be found here:
http://www.cranfordpub.com/tunes/tunes11_20.htm#MacArthur's%20Road
Richardson also wrote Calliope House, I'm pretty sure.
That tune is usually heard in the key of D
though he wrote it in E!
What is it about this guy's tunes?

# Posted on December 4th 2003 by patrick cavanagh

P.S.

I also just posted the tune correctly named the Ostrich
in the comments section under that title if anyone is interested.

# Posted on December 4th 2003 by patrick cavanagh

Key

This tune was originally composed in E. (Guess it's his favorite key!)Some people play it in D though to make it "playable" for more people at a session.

# Posted on December 4th 2003 by tws

Help??

Does anyone know any others tunes that would go well with MacArthur Road in a set?

# Posted on January 28th 2004 by Jennilee Martineau

It's fairly common to play it after the Easy Club reel in A. See: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/955

# Posted on January 28th 2004 by Will CPT

The "E" version

For some reason, I thought this wasn't here but here's the E version, at least.

|:B2 Bc Bcef|g2 ga gfec|f2 fg fece|aAgA feec|B2 Bc Bcef|g2 ga gfec|f2 fg feec|1Bcef e3 c:|2 Bcef e3 g||
|:beee bec'e|beee fece|f2 fg fece|aAgA feeg|1 beee bec'e|beee fece|f2 fg feec|Bcef e2-e g:|2 B2 BcBcef|g2 ga gfec|f2 fg feec|Bcef e2-e2||

John

# Posted on April 29th 2004 by Johannes J

Dave Richardson in E

I had always thought it was because of Dave being a guitarist, until I realised that I was getting mixed up with his late brother Tich.

However as his E tunes work pretty well up the open E string on banjo or mando, maybe they were composed on a banjo?

# Posted on July 12th 2004 by Bren

Tune to go well with MacArthur road

I find that maggies pancakes goes well either side of MacArthur Road

# Posted on August 12th 2004 by jimbob

Bren, I heard that "Calliope House" (also in E) was composed on mandolin, so I'm guessing that it was the same for this tune.

# Posted on August 12th 2004 by Dow

This is the second tune of the "Trucks of Bohermore" set on the Reeltime CD "Live it Up."

# Posted on September 26th 2004 by kardshark87

Margaret MacArthur

Dave Richardson wrote this in honor of Vermont singer and song collector Margaret MacArthur, whose family lives on MacArthur Road. Margaret died two days ago from Creuzfeldt-Jacob Disease.

# Posted on May 25th 2006 by GaryAMartin

also appears on Gaelic Storm's Herding Cats album as "Unknown Shetland Tune".
http://thesession.org/recordings/display/128

# Posted on February 19th 2007 by JHowley

Yay

i love this tune...learnt it a couple of weeks ago from sophy ball. she then taught us it as a jig! twas well funny! apparently she runined it by making it into a jig but i like it played both styles. x

# Posted on December 2nd 2007 by frafyduck

"MacArthur Road" / "Old But Happy At 63" ~ rescued duplication

Key signature: E Major
Submitted on February 19th 2008 by Horse Badorties.
~ /tunes/display/8275

See ~ http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/2881/comments
Thanks to Saskia Tomkins ~ http://www.steafan.com/saskiatomkins/

# Posted on February 19th 2008 by Horse Badorties

# Posted on February 19th 2008 by ceolachan

D Major MacArthur Road

X: 1
T: MacArthur Road
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|: dA A2 ABde | f2 fd edBd | e2 ef edBd | effd edBe |
dA A2 ABde | f2 fd edBd | e2 ef edBA | Bdde d3e :|
|: fA A2 fAgA | fAgA fdBd | e2 ef edBd | effd edBe |
fA A2 fAgA | fAgA fdBd | e2 ef edBA | Bdde d3e |
fA A2 fAgA | fAgA fdBd | e2 ef edBd | effd edBe |
dA A2 ABde | f2 fd edBd | e2 ef edBA | Bdde d3e ||

# Posted on February 20th 2008 by JACKB