Baby Rory’s slip jig

Taught by Sean Smyth at workshops all over the place. Appears on Lunasa’s eponymous album. This is actually Will’s transcription, not mine. Will’s comment about the tune is that "this is one of those mystery tunes that never quite resolves. Could as easily be D mix or E dor—the point is that the key signature is one sharp."

Is this named after Mike McGoldrick’s kid?

I don’t actually know — Sean didn’t say. I’ve always sort of assumed so, or perhaps that it was a nephew or niece or something…

The Lunasa Tunebook confirms that "Rory is the fantastically entertaining and highly energetic son of Mike Goldrick and his wife Anna.."

I’m pretty sure I lifted this off the Lunasa cd. McGoldrick’s got a knack for these simple but satisfying melodies. Baby Rory’s makes a nice lead in to Gallagher’s Frolics, if you don’t mind the meter change from slip to double jig.

ooops, that was *my* typo in a message to Zina. Not E dor, but A dor, I meant….

This tune appeals to my geekiness! Ta Zina and Will.

Okay, so the truth will out, I posted this tune so I could tell this story, which goes to prove that being a fly on the wall is sometimes the best thing ever.

So I’m taking a workshop from Sean Smyth. It’s a small group of us, only six or seven of us. Sean teaches us Baby Rory’s, and at some point or other we get on to rolls. He asks me what my rolls are like.

"Which one? I have two, " I tell him, one that I usually use at sessions and for most of my playing, and one that I use for my Scoiltrad lessons, because Kevin Glackin likes his rolls all even and with all five notes sounding.

Sean starts to laugh. "Kevin Glackin! Kevin Glackin’s rolls are total shite! You tell him I said so, too! He never calls me any more, maybe he’ll call if you tell him I’m insulting his rolls all over the place." We all laugh and we go on from there.

After the workshop, as Sean is being led off to go golfing for a bit, he collars me in the driveway and, still laughing, says, "Now remember, you tell Kevin Glackin what I said! I mean it!" I promise to do so. A bit later, I sit down at the computer to keep my promise.
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From: Zina Lee
To: Kevin Glackin
Subject: GOOD morning
Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 22:54:15 -0600

Hi Kevin:

I’m supposed to tell you that your rolls are shite. :)

Sean Smyth was in town today and yesterday (along with the rest of Lunasa) and he gave a workshop at Anne Marie’s. (He said that you never call anymore and if you hear that he’s openly slagging you in workshops, maybe he’ll finally get a call from you again if only to tear into him. *grin*)

Zina
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Two days later I get the following one-line e-mail back from Kevin:
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Subject: Re: GOOD morning
Date: Thu, 05 Sep 2002 10:58:18 +0000
From: Kevin Glackin
To: Zina Lee

Ask him has he moved on to the full size fiddle yet

Kevin

very cool, it resolves equally well to G, D (mix) or E (min or dor).

Thanks for the tune and the story, Zina.

I just note I forgot to include this tune in the detail of Mike McGoldrick’s recording "Morning Rory." It follows the great traditional slip jig, My Mind Will Never Be Easy, on the 7th track.

Is it only me who find this tune sounds somewhat similar to Catherine Kelly’s Delight? The two tunes will make a nice set.

no wonder he has to keep things as simple as possible he can’t read a note of music.

i dont give a S@!* if mike cant read a bit of music,it doesnt take away from the high standard od his music!This was written about his son rory (who i had the pleasure of meeting:nice kid!) and is number 7 on ‘morning rory’! class tune, class cd, class musician!!!