George Peoples’ reel

A dramatic reel composed by Séamus Gibson.

I would think many people have got this tune from Sharon Shannon. Her setting is as follows:

X: 1
T: George Peoples’
C: Séamus Gibson
S: Sharon Shannon - Each Little Thing
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ddor
A,D~D2 FEDE|C2EG cedB|cAGE CDEG|~A3G EDDC|
A,DDE FEDE|C2EC A,2CA,|_B,2DB CG,EG|1 AcGE D3C:|2 AcGE D3c||
|:Ad~d2 dfec|dcAd cAGE|F2AF GEcd|e3d cAGc|
AddA fAeA|dcAd cAGc|Afec dcAd|cAGE D3c:|
|:Ad~d2 defg|ad~d2 c’dbd|ad~d2 cdef|gc~c2 Gcec|
AdeA fAeA|dcAd cAGc|Afec dcAd|1 cAGE D3c:|2 cAGE D3C||

I’ve also transcribed the same tune from a session recorded by a friend in Miltown Malbay. Sounds like Padraig Rynne & friends playing:

X: 1
T: George Peoples’
C: Séamus Gibson
S: Crosses Sessions
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ddor
A,D~D2 FEDE|CDEG cedB|cAGE CDEG|A_BAG FDEC|
A,D~D2 FEDE|CDEC A,CEC|_B,2FD CDEG|1 AcGE D3C:|2 AcGE D3G||
|:AddA dfec|dcAd cAGE|~F3z G2cd|dedB cAGc|
AdcA dfec|dcAd cAGc|efec dcAd|cAGE D3G:|
|:Add^c defg|ad~d2 c’dbd|ad~d2 cde^f|gc~c2 AcGc|
AdcA dfec|dcAd cAGc|efec dcAd|1 cAGE D3G:|2 cAGE D3C||

I also found a great recording of this on YouTube, played by Stevie Dunne. Note that my transcription is the bare bones without all the triplets, for easy comparison:

X: 1
T: George Peoples’
C: Séamus Gibson
S: Stevie Dunne - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhdwXkut5sw

play video

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ddor
A,DDE FEDB,|CDEG cded|cAGE CDEG|AcGE EFEC|
A,DDE FEDB,|CDEC G,CEC|_B,2DB CDEG|1 AcGE D_BDD:|2 AcGE DEFG||
|:Add^c dfe=c|dcAB cAGE|F2AF EGcd|efed cAGc|
Add^c dfe=c|dcAB cAGg|efec dcAd|cAGE DEFG:|
|:Ad^ce defg|ad~d2 c’dbd|addA cdef|ecee FcEc|
Ddd^c dfe=c|dcAB cAGg|efed dcAd|1 cAGE DEFG:|2 cAGE D_BDD||

Lastly, I found a different setting on Henrik Norbeck’s tune index (albeit as a nameless tune):

X: 1
T: George Peoples’
C: Séamus Gibson
S: Henrik Norbeck’s index
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ddor
A,DDE FEDB,|C2EG ~c3B|cAGE CDEG|AcGE CDEC|
A,DDE FEDB,|C2EC A,B,CA,|~_B,3C DEFG|1 (3ABc GE EDDC:|2 (3ABc GE EDD2||
|:Addc dfed|dcAB cAGE|~F3E FAcd|efed cAGc|
Addc dfed|dcAB cAGc|dfed dcAB|1 cAGE D4:|2 cAGE D2 (3EFG||
|:Addc defg|ad~d2 c’dbd|adde cdef|gc~c2 AcGc|
Addc dfed|dcAB cAGc|dfed dcAB|1 cAGE D2 (3EFG:|2 cAGE D2DC||

The setting I’ve submitted for conversion to sheetmusic is based on bits and pieces of all of the above.

Enjoy!

I forgot to mention that Sharon Shannon, on her recording, starts and ends the tune with the 3rd part, so don’t be surprised if you also find this played in sessions with the last part played first.

I’ve spotted a mistake in bar 7 of a couple of my transcriptions. That Bb should be low: _B,2DB,

Great tune! Thanks for this :)

http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_399_4_niall_o_murchu/

"I forgot to mention that Sharon Shannon, on her recording, starts and ends the tune with the 3rd part, so don’t be surprised if you also find this played in sessions with the last part played first."

Funny how that recording "programs" you to think of the tune in a different way. Thanks to Sharon Shannon, CAB is the only order that makes me think of a strong opening (albeit atypical), a dark middle part and a "modern" ending. Maybe some of the Lúnasa guys play on that recording; I definitely have their sound in my head.

https://youtu.be/9rnXJADiIao

play video

Heard this in a pub in Lehinch last night played by a superb box player and a guitarist / keyboardist / singer. Had never heard it before and failed to record it, but I think this is the reel, played before Andy McGann’s in C. Awesome tune and now I have to learn it :)

So I finally followed through on learning this mighty reel today, from a composite of the above versions. That recording of Niall Ó Murcha is fantastic! I’d love to hear Gibson’s original, or any recordings of him for that matter, I can’t seem to find any.

Hi Daniel - Seamus Gibson was a guest on one of Aly Bain’s BBC Scotland TV programmes, around the mid-1990s, I think. I have him on VHS video tape from that programme and would have put the clip on "Youtube" lest it be lost forever, but can’t because of copyright. I think those programmes were available on Youtube at one time - I’ll see if I can find them.