McGoldrick’s reel

This gets played surprisingly often at sessions in my area. If you’re sick of playing “The Humours Of Tulla”, this makes a nice alternative since it can fulfil a similar “function” in a set.

I notice that this is transcribed as a single reel on Henrik Norbeck’s index, but I’ve only ever heard it played as transcribed here. Anyone know how it was originally meant to be played?

I play it this way🙂 Nice tune

I know you do you great galah 😀

Oh - were you talking about me? I dont play it that often tho…*bb is blushing no* doh!

LOL

This reel is called Michelle O’Sullivan’s on Danu’s “All Things Considered”, and can be found under the name of “Dorrian’s” on Richard Moon’s Tune Database.

I rarely hear this tune despite having been playing it for almost 20 years. I learned it from fiddler Dermot McLaughlin and taught to quite a few other people who, no doubt, taught it to others. So don’t be surprised if you hear it called “Dermot McLaughlin’s”. I hesitate to add that title to “another name” as it has not been codified by appearing on a recording as “D McL’s”. I am almost sure a version of it was recorded under some other title by the excellent Scots band “Jock Tamsen’s Bairns” many moons ago.

I was playing this today and was struck by its similarity to Hand Me Down The Tackle https://thesession.org/tunes/800. Maybe it was derived from that reel.

The tune ‘Longnote’ is refering to is ‘Mrs Gordon’s Reel of Uvie’, a William Marshall tune, first published in 1822. The first part is very similar to ‘McGoldrick’s’ but the second part seems quite different. It is however feasible that the Irish version may have arisen out of the Marshall tune via Donegal.

Also it may be worth noting that although Jock Tamson’s Bairns are not well known in Ireland, Dermot McLaughlin was familiar with the band from trips to Scotland in the 1980’s, when we introduced them to him.

If you’re looking for the tune entitled ‘McGoldrick’s’ on John McCusker’s album ‘Goodnight Ginger’ it’s actually called ‘The Ragged Hank of Yarn’.

Also compare with Money In Both Pockets https://thesession.org/tunes/5186

X: 1
T: Michelle O’Sullivan’s
S: Danu - All Things Considered
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
d2Ad cdAd|cdef gefe|d2Ad cdAF|GEEF GABc|
d2Ad cdAd|cdef g2fg|afge fded|cdAF GABc:|
|:d2fd adfd|defa gece|d2fd adfd|cAAG EADA|
d2fd adfd|cdef g2fg|afge fded|cdAF GABc:|

See the comments in this discussion:
https://thesession.org/discussions/35250
Called McGoldrick’s but not after Mike McG. In CRE collected from Bill Harte and maybe written by him too.

Here’s another way I’ve heard the B-part played.

My take.

See also No. 155 CRE2 for what is in my view the best take on this.