The Shepherd’s Daughter reel

This is a lively single reel which I’ve heard from time to time in sessions but not frequently enough to have been able to catch quite all of it. So I searched for it. This submitted version, from Henrik Norbeck’s collection, is by Paul McGrattan and Paul O’Shaughnessy (Within a Mile of Dublin). They have a variation as follows:

~e2ge ed (3B^cd|eA~A2 BABd|eggd edB^c|dG~G2 BG (3B^cd|
~e3g ed (3B^cd|eA~A2 ABBA|G2 (3B^cd efga|bgaf gefd||
eaaf gefd|eaag ed (3B^cd|eaaf gefd|(3efg de gd (3B^cd|
e2af g2ag|eaab =c’bag|eaaf g2fg|(3efg de gdBd||

In this tune there is plenty of scope for the player to slide in and out of varius modes by using c sharp or c natural, but always keeping the high c as a natural. Although the tune is listed as A dorian, a case can be made out for it being in E minor (also 1#), but, as Will Harmon has pointed out, A dorian may be more suitable if the tune is followed by a compatible tune such as the Congress Reel.

There is also a slightly different version of the tune from the New England Fiddler’s Repertoire. Here is the unornamented version:

e3g edBd|eAA2 EABd|e2ge edBe|dGG2 DGBd|
e2ge edBd|eAA2 ABBA|G2Bc dega|bgaf g4||
eaaf g3a|eaaf ged2|eaaf g2af|e2de gdBd|
eaaf g3a|eaab c’bag|eaaf g2ag|e2de gdBd||

and here is its ornamented version:

(3efe eg edBd|eA (3AAA EABd|e2ge {f}edBe|dG (3GGG DGBd|
e2ge {f}edBd|eA (3AAA AB{c}BA|G2Bc dega|bgaf ~g4||
ea{b}af ~g3a|ea{b}af ged2|ea{b}af (3gag af|(3efe de gdBd|
ea{b}af ~g3a|eaab c’bag|ea{b}af g2ag|(3efe de gdBd||

The tune is sometimes known as John Egan’s. Will tells me that John Egan was a flute player from Sooey, Co. Sligo. He lived in Donegal and London, ending up in Dublin.

trevor

Trevor ,
Thanks for this one. I learned this tune many years ago from Seamus McMahon, the flute player from Ennis. I had forgotten the tune but remembered the name and had erroneously attributed it to another tune entirely. Now I have the right tune for the name but am left with a tune with no name.

Oh, yes. I remember Paul McGrattan and Paul O’Shaughnessy play a set of another John Egan’s, Dobbin’s Flowery Vale, and finally this one. Now we got all of them.

Nice tune. Thanks for posting it. I heard it first on Vinnie Kilduff’s whistle CD, Boys of Blue Hill, where he plays it after Sean Sa Cheo. Makes a pretty spicey set; while both tunes are in Edorian, The Shepherd’s Daughter throws in those C naturals. Very cool.

Is it me, or isn’t this a two-part version of the Merry Sisters of Fate? I had to play it a while before I realized the B parts are nearly identical…check out https://thesession.org/tunes/623

Trevor, I should’ve caught this earlier.

Yes, the B parts of this tune and the Merry Sisters of Fate are indeed virtually identical. Probably one of those instances where someone way back when got a couple of tunes confused.

trevor

Altan in fact recorded this tune as John Doherty’s version of “The Merry Sister of Fate” on their “Runaway Sunday.” According to Pat Mitchell, it’s also related to Dan Breen’s: https://thesession.org/tunes/999

if it’s Kevin Burke’s Up Close version your looking for, go to: https://thesession.org/tunes/999
(Dan Breen’s)

What a great tune. Here’s Altans version….

X: 1
T: Shepherd’s Daughter, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
egfg egdg | eAAA eABd | egfg e2 dB | dGGG dGBd |
egfg egdg | eAAA eABd | egfg e2 dB | defg bgag ||
eaag e3d | eaaB cBcd | eaag e2 dB | dGGG dGBd |
eaag e3d | eaaB cBcd | eaag efga bgaf g2 fg ||

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJDTQW87w-s

play video

Second tune here by Vinnie Kilduff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hGdIYNls_Y

play video

My take

E minor