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The Eel In The Sink reel

Also known as The Blackthorn, Eels In The Sink, The Irish Blackthorn.

There are 58 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with The Culfadda (a few times), The Galway Rambler (a few times), Last Night’s Fun (a few times), Miss Langford’s (a few times) and The Mountain Top (a few times).

The Eel In The Sink appears in 4 other tune collections.

The Eel In The Sink has been added to 22 tune sets.

The Eel In The Sink has been added to 355 tunebooks.

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Nine settings

1
X: 1
T: The Eel In The Sink
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amix
e2AB cdec|d2BG dG (3Bcd|eAAB cdef|1 gedg eAAc:|2 gedg eAAe||
a2ea aged|cdef (3gbg fg|a2ea agab|gedg eAAe|
a2ea aged|cdef (3gbg fg|afge fdef|gfgd BAAc||
2
X: 2
T: The Eel In The Sink
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amix
AG||:EAAB cedc|B~G3 BGAG|EAAB cdef|gedB BAA2:||
a2ea aged|(3Bcd ef g2(3efg|a2ea agab|gedB BAA2|
ea~a2 aged|(3Bcd ef g2fg|(3agf (3gfe (3fed ef|gedB BAA2||
3
X: 3
T: The Eel In The Sink
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
e2AB cdec|d2BG DGBd|e2AB cdef|gedg eAAG|
E2AB cdec|d2BG DGBd|e2AB cdef|gedg eAAe|
a2ea aged|cdef g2fg|a2ea agab|gedB BAAe|
a2ea aged|cdef g2ga|ba~a2 agef|gedB BAAG|
4
X: 4
T: The Eel In The Sink
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amin
f2Bc defd|eAcA eA (3cde|f2Bc defb|1 afec cBBA:|2 afec cB ~B2||
b2fb bafe|^defg ~a2 ga|b2fb bafe|afec cBBA|
b2fb bafe|^defg ~a2 ga|bgaf gefg|afec cBBA||
e2AB cdec|dGBG dG (3Bcd|e2AB cdea|1 gedB BAAG:|2 gedB BA ~A2||
a2ea aged|^cdef ~g2 fg|a2ea aged|gedB BAAG|
a2ea aged|^cdef ~g2 fg|afge fdef|gedB BAAG||
# Added .
5
X: 5
T: The Eel In The Sink
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amix
|e2AB cdec|d2BG dG (3Bcd|e2AB cdef|gedB eA A2|
e2AB cdec|d2BG dG (3Bcd|e2AB cdef|gedg eA A2||
|a2ea aged|(3Bcd ef g2fg|a2ea agab|gedB eA A2|
a2ea aged|(3Bcd ef g2ga|afge fdef|gfgd BA A2||
# Added by JACKB .
6
X: 6
T: The Eel In The Sink
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amix
|e2AB cdec|d2 BGdG (3Bcd|eAAB cdef|gedB eA A2|
e2AB cdec|d2 BGdG (3Bcd|eAAB cdef|gedB eA A2||
|a2ea aged|(3Bcd ef g3g|a2ea agab|gedB eA A2|
a2ea aged|(3Bcd ef g3g|afge fdef|(3gfe dB BA A2||
# Added by JACKB .
7
X: 7
T: The Eel In The Sink
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Bmin
|f2Bc defd|e2 cAeA (3cde|fBBc defg|afec fB B2|
f2Bc defd|e2 cAeA (3cde|fBBc defg|afec fB B2||
|b2fb bafe|(3cde fg a3a|b2fb babc'|afec fB B2|
b2fb bafe|(3cde fg a3a|bgaf gefg|(3agf ec cB B2||
# Added by JACKB .
8
X: 8
T: The Eel In The Sink
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Emin
|B2EF GABG|A2 FDAD (3FGA|BEEF GABc|dBAF BE E2|
B2EF GABG|A2 FDAD (3FGA|BEEF GABc|dBAF BE E2||
|e2Be edBA|(3FGA Bc d3d|e2Be edef|dBAF BE E2|
e2Be edBA|(3FGA Bc d3d|ecdB cABc|(3dcB AF FE E2||
# Added by JACKB .
9
X: 9
T: The Eel In The Sink
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Emaj
|c2FG ABcA|B2 GEBE (3GAB|cFFG ABcd|ecBG cF F2|
c2FG ABcA|B2 GEBE (3GAB|cFFG ABcd|ecBG cF F2||
|f2cf fecB|(3GAB cd e3e|f2cf fefg|ecBG cF F2|
f2cf fecB|(3GAB cd e3e|fdec dBcd|(3edc BG GF F2||
# Added by JACKB .

Nine comments

Transcribed directly from the playing of Terry Bingham, not from Henrik Norbeck, who has also transcribed the same track. This is my favourite version of the tune in Amix, but it also comes in Ador, in which case it is (according to Norbeck) sometimes called "The Blackthorn Reel". In some settings, the phrases end |gedB BAA2| but I prefer Terry Bingham’s version |gedg eAA…

On the Terry Bingham track the guitarist plays Ador chords whilst Bingham is playing in Amix with C#s. I think this spoils it, and would have preferred a more complimentary harmonisation. Do you think it was deliberate?

Eel

Also recorded by Molloy, Peoples & Brady, Seamus Tansey & Joe Sheridan, and Vinnie Kilduff (on Brendan Regan’s solo recording).

Posted by .

Anders Trabjerg

On Anders Trabjerg’s CD Boxed, he plays it with Am chords, using C-nat, and using the C# twice in the B-part.

Lars🙂

Eel in the Sink

When my mother liked a good reel she would always say: "a reel to raise the deads and make them dance". I have the same thing to say about this one. A very lively reel

Another Version

The Old Man’s Blackthorn Stick: https://thesession.org/tunes/5774

As for the versions in Ador or Amix, I often hear the last two bars played like this: |afge fdef|gedB BA~A2||

The Eel in the Sink - Another Version

X: 1
T: The Eel in the Sink
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amix
AG||:EAAB cedc|B~G3 BGAG|EAAB cdef|gedB BAA2:||
a2ea aged|(3Bcd ef g2(3efg|a2ea agab|gedB BAA2|
ea~a2 aged|(3Bcd ef g2fg|(3agf (3gfe (3fed ef|gedB BAA2||

Eel in the Sink, The - Ador version

T:Eel in the Sink, The
M:4/4
S:A Clare Conscience by Aidan McMahon And Anthony Quigney
R:reel
Z:gian marco pietrasanta
K:ADor
e2AB cdec|d2BG DGBd|e2AB cdef|gedg eAAG|
E2AB cdec|d2BG DGBd|e2AB cdef|gedg eAAe|
a2ea aged|cdef g2fg|a2ea agab|gedB BAAe|
a2ea aged|cdef g2ga|ba~a2 agef|gedB BAAG|

The Blackthorn

Appears as "The Blackthorn" on Molloy, Brady, Peoples where it sounds in Bminor:

K:Bm
f2Bc defd|eAcA eA (3cde|f2Bc defb|1 afec cBBA:|2 afec cB ~B2||
b2fb bafe|^defg ~a2 ga|b2fb bafe|afec cBBA|
b2fb bafe|^defg ~a2 ga|bgaf gefg|afec cBBA||

but that’s cuz they are tuned nearly a full tone up so Molloy’s actual fingering will be like this:

K:Am
e2AB cdec|dGBG dG (3Bcd|e2AB cdea|1 gedB BAAG:|2 gedB BA ~A2||
a2ea aged|^cdef ~g2 fg|a2ea aged|gedB BAAG|
a2ea aged|^cdef ~g2 fg|afge fdef|gedB BAAG||

Posted .