Within A Mile Of Dublin reel

I found this gem in Breathnach’s Ceol Rince Na hEireann, Volume 2 (# 179). It goes wonderfully as a slow, swingy, slippery set up to a fast, driving reel (such as Last Night’s Fun).

I learnt this tune a few years ago from a recording by Barney McKenna. He plays it first a couple of times as it is notated here, then with F naturals instead of F sharps, then switches back to major again to finish with. The change of mood (not to mention his playing) makes it a very nice set indeed. I also sometimes like to follow it with something in Em, like Cooley’s.

On Na Connerys Part II, they play a slightly different setting of this tune following the Bobby Casey’s that I posted -- it’s a current favorite set!

Zina

My transcription from
James Keane: “With Friends Like These”
FG|ADDE FEFG|ADDB c2BG|ADDE FD(3EFG|ABcA G2FG||
ADDE FEFG|ADDB cABG|ADDE FD(3EFG|AdcA G2FG||
Add^c AGFG|Adde fde^c|Add^c AGFG|AdcA G2FG||
Add^c AGFG|Adde fefg|af(3gfe fde^c|d^cAF G2||

A tune that is familiar to me (but I don’t know its name) is labeled as “within a mile of dublin” on the cobblestone session cd. Anyone know if this is just another version of this tune?

While identifying some Irish tunes derived from Scottish reel “Sleepy Maggie,” I found this tune is closely related to these tunes:

Eanach Mhic Coilin: https://thesession.org/tunes/78
The Pigeon on the Gate: https://thesession.org/tunes/517
The Old Ruined Cottage: https://thesession.org/tunes/557
The Four Courts: https://thesession.org/tunes/2278

I added a bunch of aliases from this address :
http://tadpole.mytunebook.de/tunes/xtrareel/xtrareel.htm

This in to Last Night’s Fun that is a good idea Will, I was looking for something to stick with that, and considering I appaently had this tune (I just started playing it) I think that would work.

I also like going from Within A Mile of Dublin into Sgt. Early’s Dream, or vice versa.

What about Sgt. Early’s Dream/Within a Mile of Dublin/Last Night’s Fun that would be a cool set, too bad the first one is in Ddorian, that is not a very Flute friendly key.

Try Within a Mile of Dublin into Tyrone Ashplant: https://thesession.org/tunes/78#comment99861 And finish the set with the Mountain Top. The three tunes are closely related, and the key changes will work.

The Tinkerman’s Wife: https://thesession.org/tunes/4944
The Chorus Reel: https://thesession.org/tunes/779

OK, I’ll stop now.

Just tried playing this tune through with all the F’s flattened (or should I say naturalised). It gives the tune a very broody feel which resolves when you then switch to playing it as is here. Nice contrast to my ears.

Donogh, you’ll love the tune called Mrs. Carolan’s: https://thesession.org/tunes/5842

Slainte, thanks for that suggestion. That’s another good tune alright.

Here’s a nice setting learned from a John & Catherine McEvoy recording, the difference being mainly in that second bar.

X:1
T:Within A Mile Of Dublin
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:reel
K:Dmix
FG|ADDE FEFG|AddB cABG|AD (3DDD FEFG|AdcA G2 FG|
AD (3DDD FEFG|AddB cABG|AD (3DDD FEFG|AdcA G2 FG|
|Addc AGFG|Adde f2ed|Addc AGFG|AdcA G2 FG|
Addc AGFG|Adde f2 fg|afge fde^c|dcAF G2 FG|

here’s another parent, albeit in a different key:
The Cat That Kittled In Jamie’s Wig: https://thesession.org/tunes/173
(the 2nd part at least, is very similar)

X:1
T:Within A Mile Of Dublin
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:reel
K:Dmix
|FG|:ADDE FEFG|ADDB c2Bc|ADDE FEFG|ABcA G2 FG:|
||Addc AGFG|Adde fgec|Addc AGFG|ABcA G2 FG|
Addc AGFG|Adde fefg|af (3gfe fde^c|dcAF G2 FG||

A variation I like:
FG|ADDE FD (3EFG|ADDd c2 Bc|ADDE cDEG|AdcA GcEG|
ADDE FD (3EFG|ADDd c2 Bc|ADDE cDEG|AdcA G2 FG|
|Addc AGFG|Adde fdec|Addc AGFG|AGcA GcEG|
Addc AGFG|Adde fd (3efg|(3agf (3gfe (3fed ec|dcAF G2 FG|

played by Felix Doran:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHnSxJwuHDA

play video

Barney’s version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1vkXWIbyak

play video

Found myself playing this as a strathspey on fiddle once. I like it better shifted down a string to Gmix, but I suppose I should notate it in Dmix for the sake of consistency. Meant to be played fast, as in the Cape Breton tradition.


X:1
T:Within a Mile of Dublin (strathspey)
R:strathspey
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Dmix
B>d|:A<D D>E F>E F>G|A<DD>d (3cBA (3BAG|A<D D>E F>E F>G|[1A/B/c/d/ (3cBA G>A B>d|:|[2A/B/c/d/ (3cBA G2F>G|
A<dd>c A<GF>G|A<dd>e (3fed (3ed^c|A<dd>c A<GF>G|A/B/c/d/ (3cBA G2F>G|
A<dd>c A>GF>G|A<dd>e f2f>g|(3agf (3gfe (3fga (3gfe|d>c A<F G>A B>d|

I like this version which is transcribed from:
O’Neill’s Music of Ireland (New & Revised) by Miles Krassen
Oak Publications, New York 1976
ISBN 0-8256-0173-8

Artist : Harry Bradley
Album : As I Carelessly Did Stray.

From Eithne Vallely in Learn to Play the Uilleann Pipes with the Armagh Pipers Club. Tried to capture the ornamentation to help learn how to do cranns and triplets