The Buck In The Woods jig

The first part of this jig is almost identical to that of the Humours of Ballingarry: https://thesession.org/tunes/4191 But, obviously not in the second part.

I’ll comment more on this tune later.

Can’t wait for the comments on this one! As it stands right now, you appear indeed to have the first part of the “Humours of Ballingarry” connected to a goodly chunk of the second part of “Gander in the Pratie Hole”. After a lot of listening to tunes from all over Ireland, I’ve noticed that, for some reason, musicians from Co. Clare have a peculiar habit; they come up with tunes that are essentially two tunes mashed together. I have dubbed this phenomenon “Clareification” (no disrespect intended to any of you Claremen/women out there- the results are often more interesting than the individual tunes that got their parts grafted together!). Only thing I’ve never figured out is how/why this (seemingly) happens more in Clare than anywhere else. But as I said, I just couldn’t wait for your comments, slainte, so…lay it on us, brother!

-Jay

Sorry, Jay. I have been playing the two tunes you mention for a good few years, but this tune is not merely a composite of the two. It comes from reliable sources. I myself have been to several towns in Co. Clare a few times, but I’ve never met a musician with a “peculiar habit of coming up with tunes that are essentially two tunes mashed together” there.

This transcription of the tune is based on Longford / Manchester musicians Peter and Angelina Carberry’s version, but the last two bars of each part come from Jacqueline McCarthy and Tommy Keane’s duet playing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRtlZJrj5Qk

play video

Peter Carberry writes: “This version of the Buck in the Bog was learned from our good friend Tommy Walsh, a flute player from London….”

Tommy Keane is from Wexford but spent years in London, where Jacqueline McCarthy was born and raised. (Well, you can easily tell where Jacqueline is from.)

So, this is essentially the London version of the tune.

Version of this jig from the playing of the Castleboro ceili band from Wexford. They were regular fleadh cheoil finalists, did many TV and radio broadcasts and were winners in Scoraiocht competitions in the mid 1960s and early 1970s.
The band featured among others Gerry Forde from Wexford town who was the first winner of the fiddler of Dooney competition and the only Wexford fiddler to win the Senior fiddle at the All-Ireland fleadh (1965 in Thurles). It also featured the great Tim Flood (All-Ireland hurling winner and International sheepdog handler) who also won an All-Ireland on the tenor banjo in 1965 . Gerry Forde and Tim Flood won the senior duets the same year. The version of The Buck in the Woods that the band played came from Gerry Forde I believe…
A recording on the band can be heard here on band member Paddy Joyce’s great blog of old recordings photos videos etc:
https://thebanksoftheboro.blogspot.com/search?q=castleboro+ceili

The ‘Buck’ features at about 26 minutes in to the recording, third jig in a set with Willie Coleman’s and Brennan’s…