Cahan O’Hara waltz

This is #167 from "Ancient Irish Airs and Dances" by George Petrie (2002)

Appears on the new CD release by Louise Mulcahy - Tuning the Road. Played on the flute in E#, really nice.

I’ve never heard an actual recording of this tune before.

This tune was also recorded by Maire in Chathasaigh on her Carolan album, but actually it doesn’t bear much resemblance to that transcribed above. I think we have two separate tunes here.

Just listened to Maire ni Chathasaigh’s Kean O’Hara, and yes, the tunes are dissimilar. The transcribe above is the tune played by Louise Mulcahy - I only have George Petrie Part II and III, so can’t confirm the title or indeed the notes.

Either way, the timber on Louise Mulcahy’s Kean O’Hara (in the key of F) is superb.

Wouldn’t be an Irish tune if didn’t have a million different names, and three million variations 🙂

Also, just listened to Karen Ashbrook’s version from ‘Hills of Erin’. She’s plays it as an air, and it matches the transcribe above - playing in the key of G.

Sound like I’m flogging this one, but… I actually have the 1994 Petrie reprint Vol II, wherin Cahan O’Hara is tune #749, and matches the above ABC - also in native Gmaj. I have no idea what tune Maire ni Chathasaigh’s is playing, but it’s not Petrie’s Cahan ‘Kean’ O’Hara.

I guess ‘Kean’ is an anglicised version of the name ‘Cahan’?

This is O’Carolan’s Kean O’Hara 3rd air. The other one mentioned above is O’Carolan’s Kean O’Hara 1st air, according to O’Sullivan’s weighty book on the bard and also Catríona Rowsome’s equally weighty ‘The Complete Carolan Songs and Airs’.

Cian is a relatively common first name, now usually spelt with a C rather than the Anglicised Kean.

What a gorgeous tune (just heard the Louise Mulcahy version like everyone else above!)

Caṫáin Ó Héaġra

Setting #1 above is also in "The Complete Works of O’Carolan: Irish Harper & Composer (1670-1738)", (Ossian Publications Ltd.) as #132. Kean O’Hara third air.

McGoldrick, McCusker, Doyle version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjYNwdSl-EU

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