Captain O’Kane (waltz) on The Session

Also known as Captain O’Cahan, Captain O’Cain, Captain O’Kaine, Ceannaire Ó Caṫáin.

Two settings

X: 1
T: Captain O'Kane
R: waltz

M: 3/4
L: 1/8
K: Amin
|:AG|EAB c2 B/A/ | B/c/d/c/B/A/ GAB | cec e/d/c/B/A/G/ | EAA A2 A/G/|
EAB c2 B/A/ | B/c/d/c/B/A/ GAB | cec e/d/c/B/A/G/ | EAA A2:||
|:AB| cee e2 d/c/ | Bdd d2 g/f/ | e>a^g a>bc' | ea^g a2 a/b/ |
c'ba g>fe | dBg GAB | cec e/d/c/B/A/G/ | EAA A2:||

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ABC sheet music

X: 2
T: Captain O'Kane
R: waltz

M: 3/4
L: 1/8
K: Emin
|:ED|B,EF G2 F/E/ | F/G/A/G/F/E/ DEF | GBG B/A/G/F/E/D/ | B,EE E2 E/D/|
B,EF G2 F/E/ | F/G/A/G/F/E/ DEF | GBG B/A/G/F/E/D/ | B,EE E2:||
|:EF| GBB B2 A/G/ | FAA A2 d/c/ | B>e^d e>fg | Be^d e2 e/f/ |
gfe d>cB | AFd DEF | GBG B/A/G/F/E/D/ | B,EE E2:||

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Nine comments

Captain O’Kaine

A beautiful Carolan Air, a lovely setting can be heard on The Wishing Tree by Seamus McGuire.

A minor.

A good setting for pipes and whistles, you might need a C key to reach the high C.

Said to be composed in honour of a member of "a distinguished Antrim family, a sporting Irishman, well known in his day by the name of ‘Slasher O’Kane’" [O’Sullivan]. Tune used by Robert Burns for "The Chevalier’s Lament"

More on this in the other submission:

https://thesession.org/tunes/858

Why called a jig?

Huh. Slow air (lament) for me. Asking this also after reading the Wounded Hussar thread.

Did Carolan himself call it a jig? Or is anything in 6/8 called that, no matter the original intent. I have a collection of 110 of his tunes and this one is missing, so that’s no help. (Although I’d think this mournful little gem would have made it in there.)

For me, even making this into a waltz is a little too much, and too "measured." The tune is about as "lament-y" as they come. 🙂

But thanks for clarification as to why it’s called it a jig.

@Diane Lovejoy: Unfortunately, the only way to post a tune in 6/8 here is to post it as a jig. :~/ JACKB mentioned that it’s actually an air though; it’s certainly not a jig anyway.

Posting tunes in 6/8

Thanks for clarifying sebastian! 🙂 It sure isn’t a jig 🙂

Re: Captain O’Kane

Ceannaire Ó Caṫáin

Re: Captain O’Kane

So Strange - The Captain O’Kane most commonly played is nothing like the videos here… also, it’s not a jig.

It’s played as an air or a waltz…… I like Fergal Scahill’s take on it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHXorAYOcVc