Paddy Fahey’s reel

By Paddy Fahey

Also known as Another Paddy Fahy, Fahey’s, Fahey’s Drink At The Well, Fahey’s Finest, Fahy’s, Paddy Fahey’s 20, Paddy Fahey’s No. 20, Paddy Fahey’s Reel No. 20, Paddy Fahy’s, Paddy Fahy’s 20, Paddy Fahy’s No. 20.

There are 38 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Paddy Fahey’s appears in 1 other tune collection.

Paddy Fahey’s has been added to 19 tune sets.

Paddy Fahey's has been added to 165 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Seven settings

1
X: 1
T: Paddy Fahey's
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
cBGF DEFD|G2DG BcdB|cBGA Bcde|f2ed cedB|
cBGF DEFD|G2DG BcdB|cBGA Bcdc|BGFD ECCB:|
|:c2ge fdcd|cBGF DEFD|Gc~c2 gceg|fdcB Gc~c2|
Ecde fedc|_BdGA B3c|dggf defa|g^fdc =BG (3Bcd:|
2
X: 2
T: Paddy Fahey's
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
|:c2ge fdcd|cBGF DEFD|Gc~c2 gceg|fdcd cBGF|
Ecde efdc|BdGA _B=BcG|dg~g2 defa|gfdc BGFD:|
3
X: 3
T: Paddy Fahey's
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
|:c2eg fdBd|cBGF DEFD|Gc~c2 gceg|fdcB GcBd|
c2de fdBd|cBGA _B2Bc|dg(3ggg defd|gfdc BGAB:|
4
X: 4
T: Paddy Fahey's
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:dcAG EFGE|A2EA cdec|dcAB cdef|g2fe dfec|
dcAG EFGE|A2EA cdec|dcAB cded|cAGE FDDc:|
|:d2af gede|dcAG EFGE|Ad d2 adfa|gedc Ad d2|
Fdef gfed|=ceAB c3d|eaag efgb|a^ged =cA (3cde:|
# Added by JACKB .
5
X: 5
T: Paddy Fahey's
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
||A2 AG EGGB|Addc dfaf|gefd ceAB|cdef gece|
dcAG EFGB|Ad(3ddc dfaf|gefd ceAB|=cAGE EDDA|
(3ddd AG EFGB|Ad (3ddd dfaf|fgfd ceAB|=cdea ge^ce|
dcAG EFGB|Ad(3ddc dfaf|gefd ceAB|=cAGE EDDA||
dfaf fgfg|afge fdAB|=cdea (3gagfg|afge fddc|
dfaf (3gagfg|afge dfaf|gefd ceAB|=cAGE EDDA|
dfaf (3gaggg|gage dcAB|B=cea (3gagfg|gage faef|
dfaf (3gagfg|afge dfaf|gefd ceAB|=cAGE EDD2||
6
X: 6
T: Paddy Fahey's
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
|:GFDC A,B,CA,|D3E FEFA|GFDE FGAB|c2BA GBAF|
GFDC A,B,CA,|D3E FEFA|GFDE FGAG|FDCB, G,4:|
|:G2Bd cAFA|GFDC A,B,CA,|DG3 DGBd|cAGF DGGF|
G2AB cBAG|FADE =F3G|Addc ABcA|dcAG FDFA:|
7
X: 7
T: Paddy Fahey's
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
dcAG EFGE|A2EA cdec|dcAB cdef|g2fe dfec|
dcAG EFGE|A2EA cdec|dcAB cded|cAGE FDDc:|
|:d2fa gece|dcAG EFGE|Ad (3ded adfa|gedc Addc|
d2ef gfed|ceAB =c3d|eaag efge|aged cAce:|

Fifteen comments

This tune is played in every key there is, pretty much. I like Martin Hayes‘ version in C, and have adapted it (w/o all the variations) for transcription purposes. It appears on “The Lonesome Touch” and is entitled “Another Paddy Fahy’s”. This tune also appears on Tony McManus’ “Ceol More” played in E major (using capo). His version is basically the same with a slight difference in the 2nd part:

|:c2ge fdcd|cBGF DEFD|Gc~c2 gceg|fdcd cBGF|
Ecde efdc|BdGA _B=BcG|dg~g2 defa|gfdc BGFD:|

I think the thing I like about Martin Hayes’ version is the F# in the final bar.

There are plenty other transcriptions of this on the net. JC’s Tune Index has them all:-

#159 “Paddy Fahey’s No.3” - in A major
#160697 “Paddy Fahey’s #2” - in C major
#533 “Paddy Fahy’s” - in D major
#755 “Paddy Fahy’s” - in G major

The last 2 are from Henrik Norbeck’s.

This version is unlike those by Moving Cloud on Foxglove, or Joe Burke on The Bucks of Oranmore. Similar versions are played by Jason O’Rourke on The Bunch of Keys and by Annemarie McCormack on Ace and Deuce. The descending triplet at the end of each part on these recordings is what hooked me into learning this cheerful reel.

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We’ve started playing this in D now in our session, for the flutes.

Also on Kevin and Sean Moloney’s duet album. Paddy Carty is cited as the source.

Another B part

I learned this from a duet between Randal Bays on Fiddle and Dave Cory on banjo, really great stuff! They play the B part basically like this:

|:c2eg fdBd|cBGF DEFD|Gc~c2 gceg|fdcB GcBd|
c2de fdBd|cBGA _B2Bc|dg(3ggg defd|gfdc BGAB:|

And I do really dig that very last F played sharp (unlike what I notated there). 🙂

Paddy Fahey’s, X:5

Angelina Carberry plays this tune after the one she calls Bonnie Anne (Follow me Down to Carlow).
So, she starts the Fahy tune with a few notes from Follow me Down and then “morphs” into the Fahy tune.
I transcribed her version from a short demo she did in her 2007 Irish Arts week banjo class.
(The version of Bonnie Anne can be found on the Follow me Down page.)
She played each tune only twice, with different variations each time. So I transcribed both repeats.

Re: Paddy Fahey’s

There is some dispute as to whether the tune Angelina played is really this Fahey tune or not.
If someone can identify the tune better, I will move it (if I can??)

Fahey’s Drink At The Well

This is a tune off Macha Trí‘s album The Bear Dance. It’s paired with The Whistler of Rosslea on the track, and is commonly played in several keys. This is the low version from Ann Sheehy and Nicky McAuliffe. As far as I can tell Fahey never named this tune, so Paddy O’Brien made up “Fahey’s Drink at the Well.” Lovely flute playing by Laura MacKenzie.

Re: Fahey’s Drink At The Well

I would say that this is one of the Paddy Fahey’s that has a good chance to be in thesession already.

Re: Fahey’s Drink At The Well

@Fernando, I think you’re right, a friend of mine just sent me this one: https://thesession.org/tunes/1402, looks to be the same. I couldn’t find it by entering ABC notation or the title, so I thought I’d transcribe it.

Re: Paddy Fahey’s

This seems to be the one given in the appendix to Maria Holohan’s thesis as PF’s reel no. 20, where it’s given in C. https://thesession.org/tunes/1402 - as mentioned above.

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