Paddy Fahey’s reel

This transcription is based on Martin Hayes’ playing on The Lonesome Touch. Paddy Fahy is a Galway fiddler and prolific composer of wonderful tunes, which are widely played though not always attributed to Mr. Fahy. I’ve heard this played fast and slow, and prefer the slow pace myself just to feature the lyrical, slightly twisted melody line. Listen to Hayes caress this one--it’s a delight. I’ll post more Fahy compositions if Jeremy can figure out how he wants to label them (1, 2, 3, etc?).
Will

When I was putting the database together, I was well aware that are many tunes that share the same name. With that in mind, I decided that each tune would have a unique identification number irrespective of the tune’s title.

So go ahead and submit as many tunes called Paddy Fahy’s as you like.

In fact, I think I’ll go back and change the title of “Toss The Feathers (II)” to simply “Toss The Feathers” - it makes for an easier tune search.

This is actually a Paddy Fahy version of “Never Was Piping So Gay,” which was composed by Ed Reavy. See the liner note of “At the End of the Day” of Dervish.
I personally prefer this setting, though I cannot play it on the whistle.

The Shaskeen Ceili Band recorded this tune as The Blacksmith’s Anvil. Seamus Tansey also recorded his own very idiosyncratic version, which he named Shaney Mulhearn’s. This is definitely one tune that lends itself to wide range of interpretation, probably because the opening phrases are so strong as to be unmistakable. Martin Hayes’ version is just one of several versions, but one which seems to have caught on. In my view, the Shaskeen version is the most definitive.

I’ve been looking for this tune for a while and have been really frustrated cos I’ve been able to find all the other Paddy Fahy’s except this one. It’s No. 14

I think it may be usefull to have the full name of this tune as there seem to be so many tunes submitted with the tittle Paddy Fahy’s and no way to identify which is which.

Otherwise, fantastic tune and so happy I can now go away and learn it properly.

“The Shaskeen Ceili Band recorded this tune as The Blacksmith’s Anvil. Seamus Tansey also recorded his own very idiosyncratic version, which he named Shaney Mulhearn’s.” So says “Lord Of The Flies”,[above], but he is wrong on both counts. Neither “Shaskeen” nor Seamus Tansey recorded this particular version - ie the reel which Martin Hayes recorded as “Paddy Fahy’s” and Will has transcribed here. What they did record was Ed Reavy’s original version which he [Ed Reavy]called “Never Was Piping So Gay”. There is therefore no justification at all for causing confusion by calling this tune either “The Blacksmith’s Anvil” or “Shaney Mulhearn’s”, and the title listings for this setting should be adjusted accordingly, in my opinion.
Thanks to “slainte” for explaining the origin of the similarities between the 2 tunes.

They’re definitely 2 different tunes. They get played as such in sessions I play in.

Well, I’m just going to have to disagree with you. I might concede that they (the versions) are derived from the same tune. I don’t think I’m adding to confusion by making these observations.

The Lonesome Touch recording of this tune was used as the introductory music for a series of story-tellings (mostly from County Clare) read on the BBC radio last month by the great Irish story-teller and folklorist, Eddie Lenihan.
Trevor

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on April 18th 2002 by Josh Kane.
https://thesession.org/tunes/648

The Paddy Fahy’s reel that is found on Kevin and Sean Moloney’s album ‘Bridging the Gap’ (track 4, tune 1) and Mike and Mary Rafferty’s album ‘The Road to Ballininkill’ (last track, first tune) can be found here.

https://thesession.org/tunes/5953

I’d just like to correct the comment made by slainte "

This is actually a Paddy Fahy version of “Never Was Piping So Gay,” which was composed by Ed Reavy. "

In the MA Thesis on his music done by Maria Holohan, Fahey himself says that the similarity between the tunes is in fact a coincidence and he even suggests that it is more likely Reavy was influenced by him as Fahey’s tunes were known to be circulating amongst US musicians around the time Reavy wrote “Never Was Piping So Gay”

There are quite a few similarities between Reavy and Fahey’s compositional styles but Fahey flatly denied any influence from Reavy. They were actually composing a lot of their tunes around the same time period so it is possible that Fahey influenced Reavy, but I guess this is open for debate.

Interesting - thanks for the info.

I really don’t mind where ithe tune ultimately comes from- I just know that the quality of this music, particularly the magical lift produced at bars 3 and 4 of the second part makes me glad to be playing my small part within the Irish tradition of celebrating the music by playing the music with a few friends here in Western Sydney. I suppose, though, in my heart of hearts, I want this to be Paddy’s tune as he is something of a legend- a person who shuns the limelight and gains inspiration from his own place and people

Hello, I was wondering if anyone knew if Paddy Fahey’s (No.14) was on here. I’ve looked… but I may be just really blind haha!
it’s the on that’s on this video if that helps?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkkYWg4TD2Ye

play video

thank you! oh and also does anyone know the name of the last tune on that aswell? I think it’s a really good tune, would like to learn that too, if anyone knows… cheers!

YouTube sez: “malformed video URL”

so won’t be able to be much help for now

ah sorry! heres the right link!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkkYWg4TD2Y

play video

~thanks again.

The Paddy Fahy tune is this one https://thesession.org/tunes/150

And if you look at the description of the video, the second tune is “Da Sixereen”

The last tune is Martin Hayes version of Mother and Child
https://thesession.org/tunes/1565

oh yeah I saw Da Sixereen part haha! thanks v much for your help!

… for me, playing it so emphasizes the sweep of the tune. (Not a huge revelation, but a good enough one to bring a little more attention to this great piece!)

I don’t know anything about the specific dates of the tunes, but Reavy was a full 29 years older than Fahey, and if the archive of his tunes is to be believed, started composing while Fahey was still a young child. And the oldest irishtune.info indexed recording of Never Was Piping So Gay dates to the 1960s, Fahey’s tune the 1990s.

I guess it’s certainly possible that a young Fahey could have influenced the much older Reavy all the way across the Atlantic ocean, but without more info it certainly seems like the influence is more likely to have gone from Reavy to Fahey….

A Version off of youtube that I like and I put some chords to it for a friend.

https://youtu.be/nmTuZCiToYM

play video

This tune was known as “Reavy’s No. 4” in the Longford area, before Reavy’s given names became known in the area. Michael Reilly formerly of Drumreilly, Co. Leitrim, but having moved to Glannagh, Moatefarrell, Co. Longford, wrote it down around 1960 using that numerical title. Around the same time, William Doherty of Cloone, Co. Leitrim, sent this same tune to Michael’s brother, Hughie Reilly of Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, using the title “Shaney Mulhern’s”, and saying it was as played by Larry Redican. These manuscripts are now in the Irish Traditional Music Archive, having been donated by Marie Reilly, Michael’s daughter. I myself, about that time too, got a setting of it from Joe Dowd under the title “Shaney Mulhern (Reel)”, as arranged by P. J. McGuire and Joe Dowd. It has piano-accordion chords added in, presumably by McGuire. To add a little diversity to the story, I also received a copy of this tune around 1960 from Frank McCollam of Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, transcribed from the playing of Larry Redican and Andy McGann, who gave no title, but just wrote “Reel by Martin Wynne”!

This is the second reel in this set played by Paddy Fahey with the Kane sisters:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-i6h35CAH0

play video

Here’s my attempt to play this lovely tune on mandolin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-1E7qrAulM

play video

As far as numbers associated with the Paddy’s compositions refer to the Maria Holohan Index of her 1995 thesis, number 14 cannot be the present one. So MHI no 14 is preferably to be found here https://thesession.org/tunes/8660