The Donegal reel

Also known as Miss Brown’s, Miss Brown’s Fancy, Ríl Dhún Na NGall, Una Bhain, Una Bhain Ni Chuinneagain, Una Bhain’s Wedding.

There are 54 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Down The Broom (a few times),
Boil The Breakfast Early (a few times),
The Drunken Landlady (a few times),
The Longford Collector (a few times) and
The Mason’s Apron (a few times).

The Donegal appears in 2 other tune collections.

The Donegal has been added to 24 tune sets.

The Donegal has been added to 415 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Seven settings

X: 1
T: The Donegal
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
((3A,B,C)|D2DE FDFA|dFAF BFAF|E2EF GFGA|Bd AF EGFE|
D2DE FDFA|dABF ABde|((3fgf) ((3efe) dBAG|1 FGEF D2:|2 FGEF D3A||
|:defg afdf|afdf a2gf|edef gfed|cdef g2fe|
defg afdf|afdf abag|((3fgf) ((3efe) dBAG|1 FGEF D3A:|2 FGEF D2||

X: 2
T: The Donegal
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:defg afdg|fdfg bagf|e=cef (3gag fg|ecef (3gagfe|
defg afdf|afdf abag|((3fgf) ((3efe) dBAG|1 FGEF D3A:|2 FGEF D2||

X: 3
T: The Donegal
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
A,B,C||DCDE FEFA|d F3 DFAF|E3 FGFG A|BFAF EGFE|
DCDE FEFA|d F3 ABde|fdec dBAG|FGEG D2 A,B,C||
DCDE FEFA|d F3 dFcF|BFAF EFGA|BFAF EDFE|
D A,3 DEFA|ded cdBc de|fgec dABG|FAGE FDDA||
defg a f3|afdf a2 gf|ed’ef gfed|3Bcd ef g2 fe|
defb afdf|afdf abag|fgf ecdB AG|FGF EGFD DA||
defb afdf|afdf a2 gf|e B3 Gged|cdef gefe|
defg a f3|afdf abag|fgec dBAG|FGEF D 3A,B,C||
D2 DEFE FA|dF 3FFF DFAF|EB,EF GFGB|edc dcB cBA GFE|
DCDE FEFA|dF 3FFF ABde|fgec dABG|FGEG FD D2||
EDA,D EFEF|A dF 3FFF DFAF|E3 FGFG A|BFAF EGFE|
3DDD DE FEFA|dF 3FFF ABde|fdec dBAG|FGEF D2 AB||
defg a f3|afdf a2 gf|e^d’ef gfed|Bcd efge fe|
defb a f3|afdf abag|fgf 3efe dBAG|FGF EGFD DA||
defb afdf|afdf a2 gf|e B3 Gged|cdef g2 fe|
defg afdf|afdf abag|fdec dBAG|FGEF D2 A,B,C||
DCDE FEFA|d F3 DFAF|E3 FGFG A|BFAF EGFE|
DCDE FEFA|d F3 ABde|fdec dBAG|FGEF D2 A,B,C||
DCDE FEFA|d F3 dFcF|BFAF EFGA|BFAF EDFE|
D A,3 DEFA|ded cdBc de|fgec dABG|FAGE FDDA||
d2 dcde fg|a2 agaf df|e^d’ef gfge|aaa fage ce|
ddd cede fg|a f3 afde|fgec dABG|FFF EGFD DA||
defg afdf|afdf a2 gf|e B3 Gged|cdef gefe|
defb a f3|afdf abag|fgec dBAG|FGEF D4||

X: 4
T: The Donegal
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|D2 DE FDFA|dFAF BFAF|E3F GFGA|(3Bcd AF EGFE|
D2 DE FDFA|dFAF ABde|f2 ef dBAG|1 FGEF D2:|2 FGEF D3A||
|:defg afdf|afdf a2gf|edef gfed|(3Bcd ef g2 fe|
defg afdf|afdf a3g|f2 ef dBAG|1 FGEF D3A:|2 FGEF D2||

X: 5
T: The Donegal
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
A,|D2 DE FEFA|dFAF BFAF|E2 EF GFGA|(3Bcd AF EGFE|
D2 DE FEFA| dFAF ABde|(3fga ec dABG|(3FGF EF D2||
A2|defg afdf|afdf a2 (3agf|edef gfed|edef g2 (3gfe|
defg afdf|afdf abag|(3fgf (3efe dABG|(3FGF EF D2|]

X: 6
T: The Donegal
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|: AF | D2DE FDFA | dAFA BFAF | E^DEF GFGA | (3BAG AF EGFE |
DCDE FDFA | dAFA ABde | faef dBAG | FAEF D2 :||
|: A | defg afdf | afdf a2gf | e^def gfed | (3Bcd ef (3gbg fe |
defg afdf | afdf a3g | (3fgf (3efe dBAG | (3FGF (3EFE D3:|

X: 7
T: The Donegal
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
D2 DE FDFA|B~F3 BFAF|EBEF ~G3A|(3Bcd AF GFEF|
D2 DE FDFA|B~F3 ABde|edef dBAG|1 FAEF DFFE:|2 FGEF D2fe||
|:defg afdf|afdf a2gf|~e3f gfed|(3Bcd ef gfef|
defg adfd|afdf abag|f2 ef dBAG|1 FAEF D2fe:|2 FGEF D2FE||

Fifteen comments

Donegal Reel

This is the common version of the Donegal reel as played in most sessions.

Donegal

Really nice reel which to my knowledge is played by the Kifenora C

John Doherty’s B Part

John Doherty added an ear-catching touch with a c natural in the b part to this reel. Here’s my recollection of it:

|:defg afdg|fdfg bagf|e=cef (3gag fg|ecef (3gagfe|
defg afdf|afdf abag|((3fgf) ((3efe) dBAG|1 FGEF D3A:|2 FGEF D2||

cracking early Dubliners version on YouTube, followed by the Lonford Collector
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mYKhT0K_Dhk

play video

My favourite version of "The Donegal"…..

https://thesession.org/recordings/3403

Mick Mulcahy’s version

Mick Mulcahy is actually playing Lady Anne Montgomery not The Donegal.

Should be played with…

This tune goes really well with the Sally Gardens (reel) played after it.

Old recording

http://www.ville-ge.ch/meg/public_ph.php?id=HR505-1/1

this is the website of an ethnomusicologist from beguinning/middle of the 20th century.
check out the last track of the album (B4)… !

That’s a pair of about 10 sides recorded in 1943 by Westmeath piper R.L. O’Meally, you can hear them all here: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/music/index.html

The Dubliners in 1965 ( above link)… They strike at a brisk pace and manage to pick up even more speed as they go along! Banjo man loses his cool for a brief second c.40"

Wrong title for second Dubliners tune

I think the second tune sounds very much like The Boyne Hunt. The Longford Collector I know is a big G major tune.

All the best

Brian x

Agree…

"The Dubliners" did record "The Donegal" followed by "The Longford Collector" and also "The Swallow-tail" followed by the "Boyne Hunt". They’ve obviously changed them about for the above clip.

That Long Version Up There

That lengthy version is simply the tune played as Brendan Mulvihill demonstrated in a fiddle class back around 1991. He taught a simpler version of the tune, and in typical fashion by teachers at workshops, wowed us with this much embellished version. Thankfully, I committed the performance to a cassette tape that managed to survive all these years — lots o’ good stuff on there, too. Enjoy!

The Donegal, X:5

This setting appears in O’Neill’s Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, 1922, no. 247.

The Donegal, X:7

Steph Geremia version (The Open Road)

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