Dick Sherlock’s reel

Found this in an old US(?) collection of fiddle music. It appears to a transcription of a performance, but I do not know who the player was.
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This is an unornamented version of the tune (same key):

dB|AFF2 BFAF|DEFA BABd|eBB2 egfe|dfed BedB|
AFF2 BFAF|DEFA BABd|egfg efdB|AFGE D2:|
|:A2|d3e fefg|afbf afdf|eBB2 gBB2|fedf edBd|
AFF2 ABdf|aba^g afdf|=g2fg efdB|AFGE D2:||

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Does anyone else know this tune as “Dicky Sherlock’s” or “Dicky Scarlogue’s” ? Mick Moloney has it as a Sligo reel on mandolin on his first solo recording “We Have Met Together”. Lovely tune.

I have Mick Moloney’s recording on a 4-CD Irish music compilation, which gives it simply as ‘Reel on Mandolin’. Henrik Norbeck has the name of this tune as The Ashplant, but there is also another reel, in E minor, which goes by that name.

I know this as “The Night in Ennis”: got it off a recording of Vincent Griffin. He plays the C major Maid Behind the Bar after it (and so now do I). For me the Ashplant’s the one in E minor.

Brian Rooney recorded this tune as “John Brennan’s” together with Frankie Gavin on the flute and John Carty on the banjo. Even more confusingly Siobhan Peoples and P. J. King did it as “Bobby Gardiner’s” on “Sanctuary Sessions.” Whatever the name, it’s a great tune.

I think Trevor Jennings, when he mentioned above that the tune came from an old (US) collection of fiddle music, is referring to “Irish Traditional Fiddle Music.” Originally published 1977 in New Hampshire, a new edition has just been released. https://www.fiddlecasebooks.com/store/c2/Books.html

Jim Kelly played this tune on tenor banjo at a concert in the early ‘70s at Harvard University. At the time, he lived in Newtonville, Mass. His peformance was so electrifiying, and the tune so appealing, we just had to include it in the book. I’ve played it since then under this title, to commemorate the banjo player.

It’s on Ace And Deuce https://thesession.org/recordings/425 as the Tipperary Fancy.

I got it as “Sean McGuire’s”, off “Flute For The Feis”, an album featuring piccolo player John Doonan.

All these other players’ names for it…I wonder if the ancient kings of Ireland thrashed out definitive tune names, among their other business, when they met at Tara.I guess I’ll just have to follow one strand of traditional practice and call it “THAT one …”

Mick Moloney’s comments on the sleeve of his “We Have Met Together” (1973):

“This is a Sligo reel, but not even the Sligo musicians of my acquaintance could enlighten as to its correct title.”

Watch and listen to Mary MacNamara play this tune: http://www.custysmusic.com/mall/CustysTraditionalMusicShop/mary_mc_namara.htm She doesn’t have a name for it, either.

Whatever the name, I’ think we’ll all agree that this is one great reel! It was originally introduced to our session as Matt Molloy’s but after much debate and argument a consensus developed that Dickie Sherlock’s was the name most commonly associated with the tune.

Also on Border Collies’ Unleashed as “John Brennan’s”.

On the Edel Fox/Ronan O’Flaherty album, it’s listed as John Brannan’s. Great tune!

Now you can watch the video clip of Mary MacNamara playing this reel on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NViOZ6XN7f8

play video

A lot of the musicians around Athlone call this tune ‘Coleman’s’

Apparently they got this name from a music teacher who was in town a few years ago who seems to have taught everyone except me!

On the CD “As we got them - Traditional flute and fiddle music from County Sligo”, this tune is recorded as “Thatcher’s Mallet”. James McDonagh and Jimmy Murphy play the set “Thatcher’s Mallet/Last Night’s Fun”. According to the copyright, the CD has been released in 2005. Lovely stuff.

see this setting too, under the John Brennan’s entry : https://thesession.org/tunes/404#setting13254

I’m a bit confused as to the way the notation is done here, ie
(3fff triplets?
(3efg fretted triplets?
D2 hold note for 2 beats?
{G}?
ab^gb?
=gafg?

Any help much appreciated cheers

Mary MacNamara playing.

A lively setting played by accordionist Nicol McLaren of Blairgowrie on the Glencraig Dance Band’s 2006 album ‘Are Ye Dancin?’.

I learned this lovely tune from my old friend Packie Duignan.

Who decided this is called Dick Sherlock’s now? I don’t see a comment about it. This is Jim Kelly’s!

The only reason it’s called “Jim Kelly’s” is because he played it. See this explanation above :

“Jim Kelly played this tune on tenor banjo at a concert in the early ‘70s at Harvard University. At the time, he lived in Newtonville, Mass. His peformance was so electrifiying, and the tune so appealing, we just had to include it in the book. I’ve played it since then under this title, to commemorate the banjo player”.

This reel appears in Breandan Breathnach’s “Ceol Rince na hEireann Vol. 2” - # 200. He collected it from “Shean O’Luchrain of Pomeroy, Co. Thir Eoghain” in 1968. So it was collected - in Ireland - under the title “Dick Sherlock’s” at least 2 years before it became associated with Jim Kelly.

Here’s how I learned this tune from Frances Marriott, who plays it after Devanney’s Goat.