The Mists of Shannon was played by the Irish Guards today at the trooping of the colour and I’m trying to find the sheet music. Apologies if I’m missing something obvious but I can’t find it - can anybody point me in the right direction, please ? There is a recording on the Household Division’s web page https://www.householddivision.org.uk/troop22 . Thank you, Gordon
Hi Gordon - I hadn’t heard this title before, but it’s the air used to the song “Spancilhill”, made popular in the 1970s by Christy Moore.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1559
https://youtu.be/Eu_tTPMB62s
Many thanks, Kenny. That’s it !
On another related note, the band also played a piece called Irish Saffron, which is also listed on the link above. To my ears, this consisted of a Polka, known as the Armagh Polka, or John Ryans, followed by ‘I’ll tell me Ma’, ‘If you’re Irish, come into the parlour’, and I think a hint of ‘Blarney Pilgrim’ before going back to the Polka. Am I right?
Much like what I heard too AskeaRambler, tho maybe the third tune was When Irish eyes are smiling?Can’t exactly remember now. The commentator gave the impression that Irish Saffron was the work of one composer - at best, he was an arranger!
Another curiosity was how they kept referring to the Irish Guards as ‘The Micks.’
Hi coppers and brass.
For sure, such recognition will lighten the burden on Paddy etc as just recently discussed!
Keep safe and well
All the best
Brian x
The officer who was co-presenting with Huw Edwards was asked about the Irish Guards being called ‘The Micks’ and replied that that was how they often referred to themselves and that any connotations with anything had disappeared in the mists of time. Now I’m wondering what they were…
In the British Army there is a long tradition of Irish soldiers being referred to as “Micks”. Similarly, Scots are often called “Jocks”. While many civilians in Ireland and Scotland might object to these names, the army usage is not negative. There is a jig named “The Micks among the Jocks”, which commemorated the Irish Guards serving with the Scots Guards in Kenya and elsewhere. It was composed by a Scots Guardsman (P/M R.L. Kilgour), so it was certainly not intended as a slur.
Micks comes to us from ´mhic´. One meaning being ´son´. So, Sons of Ireland.
And not to leave the Welsh out, the service members are often referred to as ´taffey´, or ´taff´.
“Mick comes to us from mhic”? I doubt it. It’s much more likely that it is a short version of Michael. Just as Jock is a diminutive of John, and Taffy comes from Welsh Dafydd.
See also my comment on the Tunes - Spancil Hill thread re “Mists of Shannon” - it’s actually an arrangement of “Cliffs of Dooneen” followed by “Spancil Hill”.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1559
I’m not interested in the debate.
Here’s just a wiki on some of the issues (for information).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_racism
-there are books on it too, but I’d rather play music.
Gordon and others, I’m trying to find a recording of the very moving “The Mists of Shannon” played by the band of The Irish Guards at Thursday’s Queen’s Birthday Parade. It’s got to be a military band and pipes recording, “Traditional arranged Skipper”.
The link to the recording by the Irish Guards band on the Household Division website is fine. But I’d prefer it to be on say, a CD album with other tunes by them.
Thanks for the links to the sheet music which I’m having fun playing on my trumpet.
Peter
They have a pile of different CDs available from Amazon. You could also try Discogs or Spotify? I haven’t looked at the track listings for each CD: that’s for you to research, Peter, to get the tunes you want.
Here’s a historical sidebar for anyone who is interested in that sort of information.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/may/18/queen-ireland-apology-britains-actions
video link ~ https://cdn.theguardian.tv/bc/281851582/281851582_949647435001_110519QueenIreland-16x9.mp4
trish santer, thanks , I’ll have a look on Amazon.
A search on Spotify revealed “Nil”.
I think it might be a new arrangement that has not found it’s way onto one of their cds yet.
Thanks again for your interest.
Kenny, do you or the other music theoreticians know the transposition key for a Bb trumpet of the first version (D Major, F# & C#) in the first link that you gave us?
Thanks, Peter
[ Re: The Mists of Shannon
Hi Gordon - I hadn’t heard this title before, but it’s the air used to the song “Spancilhill”, made popular in the 1970s by Christy Moore.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1559
https://youtu.be/Eu_tTPMB62s
YouTube
play video
# Posted by Kenny 5 days ago. ]
Swinbank, for a Bb trumpet you’d need the transcription up a tone, from D to E.
DonaldK, thanks. I’ll try that.
It’s not a problem, because that’s what I do when I’m reading from a flute or violin part.
Peter
