menu
Log in or Sign up

Paddy Fahey’s reel

Also known as Another Paddy Fahy, Fahey’s, 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 35 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Paddy Fahey’s has been added to 13 tune sets.

Paddy Fahey's has been added to 151 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Five 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||

Eight 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.

Posted by .

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??)