Barrack Hill slide

Source:H. Hamilton, S. Ceagh, C. O’Drisceoil. “It’s No Secret” Transcription: Gian Marco

Good Tune !
We use to play a set with Turnip Jig/BH/Dennis Murphy’s Slide and it makes a very lively one. We sometimes start our gigs with it.

Sorry about the title! Aliens at work again, I guess.

Anyway, I was watching RTE last night, when all of a sudden, who should appear but one Paddy Cronnin.
Now Paddy is a fine, fine Fiddle player & he was chatting about one of my all time heroes Johnny Leary, when he suddenly struck off with a slide that he had learned from Johnny!

It was a real cracker but I’d no tape machine handy, so I listened carefully to it & then rushed off to make notes & these are the results of my scribbles.

It started off like one or two other fairly common slides but then in the 3rd bar there was this lovely we turn which was the real ‘hook’ for me.

I’ve been through Johnny’s book ‘Off Sliabh Luachra’ but don’t see it in there.

I’m hoping this if fairly close to the tune & I also hope that someone knows this tune here & can tidy it up for me, or could go knock Paddy’s door & ask him for the notes!

Paddy comes up here to Co. Antrim, to Cushendall every once in a while anyway, to visit relatives, so if I have no luck here, I’ll corner him the next time I see him!

Up Kerry Music!

Sorry, I think the fourth bar should look like this - f instead of B:

|G2 B d2 B A2 f g2 f|

I think you will find that this is a polka. I am in the middle or rewriting it and will post ABC shortly.

My comment should have read that it is a Polka also. I’m considering putting the two together as a set.

https://thesession.org/tunes/1113

Also played in alternate keys and usually not notated as you’ll find it here, meaning the 1/16th and 1/32nd notes…

T: Johnny O’Leary’s
M: 12/8
L: 1/8
R: slide
K: Gmaj
|: B/d/ |
eA AB/d/ | ed Bd | eA AB/A/ | G>A Bd |
eA AB/d/ | BA/B/ dB | BG/B/ dB | A3 :|
|: B/d/ |
ef/g/ a>b | ag ed | Bc/d/ e>f | ga fg |
ea a>b | ag ed | BA/B/ d>B | A3 :|

Thanks for that Ceolachan. Must admit though, I think I prefer it as a Slide. What came first I wonder? - that old Chicken & Egg thingy! Doesn’t really matter of course!

Ta

Doesn’t matter Ptarm, me saying so after having hornpiped a well known reel (“Hornpipe on the Turnpike”) ~ if it works either way it works either way, and if it happens to work for just the one person who’s right is it to take that little pleasure away from them, not me… However, the A-part feels a bit imcomplete, almost as if the person playing it or remembering it was getting a couple of different melodies confused. Structurally, following a few of the ‘norms’ of the form, it just doesn’t flow as well as it could, doesn’t agree with itself or those form norms completely, being a little ‘incoherent’? This also marks it out as not being of much age, neither belonging to the earlier ways of things or being around long enough to wear off the disagreements and self-consciousness of youth. 😉 That’s the sort of thing where when you’re playing you feel a kind or “Oops!” or a slight discomfort in where it has chosen to go, slipping rather than sliding… I’ll give it a bit of time and if I come up with something still respecting this transcription but feeling a bit more “Umph!” than “Oops!” I’ll come back and leave the ABCs here in the ‘Comments’…

As to ‘chicken or egg’, which obviously does matter with so many folks are caught up in such questions, it shouldn’t stop anyone from the ‘fun’ of the egg or the chicken ~ poached, soft or hard boiled, scrambled, fried, fricasseed, etc… ~ and not wanting to take from the pleasures of that line of inquiry either, those with an interest in history and context ~

it was a polka first ~

speaking from ‘experience’, however limited and subjective that might be. I’m one of those interested in such things, like the multi-layers and many facets of poetry ~ history and context, rhyme-rhythm-imagery-language, but it has never spoiled the enjoyment of any poem at the basic level.

I spent a lot of time playing and dancing to polkas and slides, since the 70s if a general time frame is required, including collecting them and playing with and dancing to some very into-that-sort-of-music musos, including from and in that particular area of the country, including Mr. O’Leary his-self ~ family and friends ~ as well as going blind and tinnitus plagued trawling through old and new collections, in print and recorded… In your particular take on this melody, or Paddy Cronin’s as you heard it, understood it and transcribed it, I’ve not heard it in this form previously, not that that means anything… Besides, a living tradition continues to borrow and evolve, and sometimes mutate ~ sometimes akin to the horror genre meaning…subjectively speaking… 😛 But, I’d love to be directed to any recording where this is the outcome, even more so if it were Johnny, as my interest and curiosity remains ever constant…

K: A Dorian (I forgot to make that ‘adjustment’ earlier, sorry…)
|: f g2 f |
e2 A ABd e2 d B2 d | e2 A ABA G2 A Bcd |
e2 A AB/c/d e2 d B2 d | BAB d2 B A2 :|
|: A AB/c/d |
efg a2 b a2 g e2 d | Bcd e2 f g2 a f2 g |
ee/f/g a2 b a2 g e2 d | B>AB d2 B A2 :|

K: E Dorian
|: d c2 d |
B2 E EFA B2 A FGA | B2 E EFE D2 E FGA |
BEE EF/G/A BAA AFA | FEF A2 F E2 :|
|: E FGA |
Bcd e2 f fed B2 A | F2 A B2 c d3 cBA |
B2 d e2 f e2 d cBA | FGA d2 F E2 :|

I just remembered I’ve some old note about with lesser known slides on them. I’ll dig them out and see if I can find any other relatives to this one, slide or polka. Sadly what I have of my work and collection is only partial at the moment… I also should have given a simple alternate take on the penultimate beat just above, keys of A & E Dorian, tieing the A2 with the A, the E2 with the E and making the equivalent A3 / E3:

~ A2- :| -A // ~ E2- :| -E

https://thesession.org/tunes/1014

I thought this seemed familiar but somehow not quite what I remembered, polkas aside… And a version is already here on site, after a bit more looking…

Good ol’ Henrik has it too, in a form more familiar to me, #62 with the first verse of the ditty:

http://www.norbeck.nu/abc/i/hnsl0.abc

“This file contains 64 slides and single jigs (#1 - #64).”

Careful ceolachan, please don’t give my ABC too much credibility.
I only heard the tune twice before dashing off into another room to scribble down the notes, as I remembered them.

As it was that skip in the first half of the tune that captured my imagination, my mind was completely focused on trying to remember that, as best I could, so the 2nd half may well be way off the mark!

However, I do feel it was worth submitting, if it leads to us tracking down the correct version, cause it is a neat tune.

Ah Ha - excellent work. I’m surprised I got close enough for you to recognise it.

Now I’ll have to track down the H. Hamilton, S. Ceagh, C. O’Drisceoil recording & hear how the local guys play it.

Thanks

Huh, just found the first part only, of this tune, played by Mrs Ellen O’Dwyer on the Irish Traditional Concertina Styles LP:
https://thesession.org/recordings/1738

Track 2 - on the LP is just called: No Title

Hey Ptarm, guess what, someone else up your way has it recorded, and in your mode ~ quick, check your collection:

Cathal McConnell ~ “Lough Erne’s Shore”

I must be ill, I’m loving this…

P.S. I love that recording and the playing of Ellen O’Dwyer, but I haven’t a lot of my stuff here, including all my old LPs. Would you be so kind as to notate Ellen’s take on this and give us the ABCs, wherever most appropriate, or come back with the version, after you’ve done the listening, you most like, what fits your mood. I’d love to see it and play through it. There is another transcription ascribed to the playing of Julia Clifford which some folks call “Julia Clifford’s Slide”. I’ll have to see if that is here on site or somewhere in the piles around me…

a friend in passions ~ ‘c’

Good work ‘c’. Aye that’s it again for sure.

Unfortunately Ellon only played the 1st half of this tune on that recording Concertina LP, before launching into Eileen O’Riordan’s.

Anyway this is as close as I can get to her first half. Of course she is playing an old C or Bb machine so I changed the key, but hopefully it’ll get you started anyway.

X: 1
T: Ellen O’Dwyer’s Fancy
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
e2 A AGA e2 f g2 e|d2 G GFG BAB dcd|
e2 A AGA e2 f g2 e|1 d2 B G2 B A3 Agf:|2 d2 B G2 B A3 A2 d||

As a single jig:
“O’Neill Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems”
Captain Francis ONeill, 1907
#410

As a slide:
“Traditional Irish Music: Music for the Sets: The Yellow Book”
Na Píobairí Uilleann, 1995
ISBN: 1-899512-32-2
Page 36

Thanks for the Ellen O’Dwyer parcial, which rings other bells…

Another take on this ~

https://thesession.org/tunes/5117

As a single jig:
“O’Neill Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems”
Captain Francis ONeill, 1907
#410

As a slide:
“Traditional Irish Music: Music for the Sets: The Yellow Book”
Na Píobairí Uilleann, 1995
ISBN: 1-899512-32-2
Page 36

Just noticed Ptarm, I’m assuming for the half tune above you meant “R: slide”? And yes, I have at least two takes on it so far… I’m struggling with the great question, slide or strathspey, which comes first? Hmmmmmm? I think I’ll go have a brew and then decide…

Yes ‘c’ - Sorry. A Slide it is. Well, after all, yesterday ‘was’ a busy day!

“Playford’s “Dancing Master” of 1728 - John Playford

K: A Dorian
|: e2 A A2 B | e2 d B2 d | e2 A A2 B | G2 A B2 d |
e2 A A2 B | e2 d B2 d | e2 d g 2 B | A3 A3 :|
|: e2 d efg | a2 b g2 e | d2 B d2 e | d2 B d2 g |
e2 d efg | a2 b g2 e | d2 B g2 B | A3 A3 :|

“The Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems” - Captain Francis O’Neill, 1907

K: Ador
|: e2 A A2 f | e2 d Bcd | e2 A A2 B | G2A Bcd |
e2 A A2 f | e2 d Bcd | e2 d g2 B | A3 A3 :|
|: e2 d efg | a2 b g2 e | d2 e d2 B | d2 e dcB |
1 e2 d efg | a2 b g2 e | d2 B g2 B | A3 A3 :|
2 e2 d e2 f | g2 a b2 a | g2 e d2 B |A2 a agf ||

ALSO in “The Roche Collection, Volume II” Page 23, #250

More info here, “Barrack Hill”:

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/BARN_BB.htm

Good work ceolachan.

Thought I’d follow that through & lift The Haughs & post here, for anyone interested in the origins of this tune:

X:1
T:Haughs of Cromdale
M:C
L:1/8
R:Strathspey
B:Stewart-Robertson – The Athole Collection (1884)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:E Minor
e| B<E E>F B>A F<A |B>E E>F D>EF>A |B<E E>F B>AF>A | d>BA>F ~E2 E :|
|: F| D<d d>e d/^c/B/A/ d2 |F<A A>B A<F A2 |B<e e>f g>fe>d | B<d B/A/G/F/ E2E :|

That’s what I’ve been holding back on. I’ve versions of that to add to TheSesh this week but wasn’t yet fully satisfied with the transcriptions. The delay in posting it is also because I had and have a couple of slides in the family too, the one just added, “Ellen O’Dwyer’s”, and another, that family drop of a fifth in the first beat, that is from B to E or e to A… (& f to B = B Dorian)

For the Haughs I have several takes including a second ending fling…as well as some history and links to relevant content on the Internet, such as Dick Gaughan’s website, and to family members here on site, for the ‘craic’…

I suspect the single jig / slide country dance predates the song… I’d almost forgot I was working on this one, oh yeah, things were being deleted…ah well…

Key signature: G Dorian
Submitted on November 6th 2002 by abwilson.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1113

As my badly misfiring brain cells tend to do, it seems, looking over the bits I’ve manage to pull out and hunt down, that this very popular melody evolved in this order ~

SIngle Jig (slide) ~ Strathspey ~ Highland Fling ~ March/Polka

The ‘song’ is in the middle there somewhere…

I, personally, love ’em all…

Here’s a slightly different version, which I learned from memory this afternoon.

K: Ador
g2f|e2A ABd e2d B2d|e2A B2A G2A B2d|
e2A ABd e2d B2d|d2B GAB A3:|
ABd|e3 efg a2f g2e|d2B d2g d2B d2g|
e3 efg a2f g2e|d2B GAB A3:|

It’s just the same as what Gerry Harrington recorded on his duet CD with Charlie Piggott. Mighty little tune!

Key signature: E Dorian
Submitted on December 5th 2005 by hetty.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5278

Key signature: E Dorian
Submitted on July 27th 2006 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/6031

Here’s a lovely version of this tune posted in discussions by Bannerman……….

https://thesession.org/discussions/21774

http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_288_2_eimear_buckley_padraig_king

And here’s the ABC’s for their version……….

X: 1
T: Barrack Hill
M: 12/8
L: 1/8
R: slide
K: Ador
|: e2 A ABd e2 d B2 d | e2 A ABA G2 A B2 d |
e2A ABd e2 d B2 e | d2 B GAB ABA ABd:|
|:e2 e efg a2 f gfe | d2 B d2 e d2 B d3|
e2 e efg a2 f gfe | d2 B GAB ABA ABd:|

see highland avatar: Con McGinley’s
https://thesession.org/tunes/1865

Tis of the same stripe as Lord Mayo
https://thesession.org/tunes/638

One of the slides the Bonny Men play

You’ve written it in 6/8, but said it’s 12/8… not quite right…

<“Barrack Hill” ~ & beyond
<“Playford’s “Dancing Master” of 1728 - John Playford
I have Jeremy Barlow’s “The Complete Country Dance Tunes from Playford’s Dancing Master (1651-ca.1728)” from the library and Barrack Hill is not in it.

Setting 9 is a Fermanagh variant, from Cathal McConnell’s “On Lough Erne’s Shore” https://thesession.org/recordings/1231

His notes on the tune:
“The Three Hand Jig is a dance tune from Trannish Island on Lough Erne. I learned it from Tommy Gunn, the fiddler from Derrylin. He told me that the dance involved two men and a woman.”