Hanly’s reel

Source: Desi Wilkinson - "The three Piece Flute"
Transciption: g.m.p.

At first glance I thought, this isn’t in C it’s in Amin or Ddor. Then I had a closer look and of course it’s none of them. It’s a lovely example of a pentatonic tune (no Fs, no Bs) which lies outside the modal domain (major, minor, dorian, mixolydian etc) in which most tunes reside. So in the absence of a pentatonic designation on the database Cmaj is as good as anything else which has no sharps or flats.
Trevor

This tune is associated with Roscommon flute-player Patsy Hanly, and I’ve only ever heard it called that. Desi has some great tunes on that recording, including a reel called "The Cocktail" which he plays after "Hanly’s" . I’ve been meaning to post it, and will do so.

His name is Patsy HANLY.

We heard you the first time, Kenny.

You can listen to Desi Wilkinson and Paul McGrattan play this tune: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/genres/folk/aod.shtml?ulster/culan It was originally broadcast some months ago, but isn’t deleted yet. The show also feature some other great musicians, such as Connie O’Connell, Harry Bradley, Paul McGrattan, and Chris Droney.

This is the "Hanley’s" that appears on Michael McGoldrick’s FUSED album.

https://thesession.org/recordings/display/154

You can listen to him play a few sets of tunes on Rich Rafferty’s Flute Geezers page: http://www.lafferty.ca/music/irish/flute-geezers

I really like this tune, Molloy and Co play it in a different key, under a different name, although they do refer to the Hanly brothers in the sleeve notes. They call it ‘The New Line To Loughaun’.

Fun to play up a key..

The 2nd setting is almost the same as the 1st setting except that it’s transposed up a note. Harry Bradley recorded the tune in the key of D, informing that’s how Patsy Hanly plays it. Peter Carberry from Co. Longford also recorded it in the same key, providing further information on the tune. He writes:

Patsy Hanly of Roscommon is the source for the … tune. He learned it from fiddler James Hanly of Newtowncashel, Co. Longford. Our uncle Peter Carberry told us recently that James Hanly learned the tune from a man in the area called Eavers who was a farm labourer, whistler, and lilter from the locality. The nice thing about this story is that it turns out that Eavers was our cousin on my mother’s side of the family.

John Carty and Matt Molloy playing the tune in the same key: http://youtu.be/TIr42PhLIDA?t=1m

play video

And Cathal McConnell playing it in C: http://www.itma.ie/digitallibrary/sound/james-hanleys-mcconnell

I have seen Colm O’Grada playing this* in C between Green Mountain (https://thesession.org/tunes/166) and Come West Along the Road (https://thesession.org/tunes/474)
*Geantrai, recorded at P.F. McCarthy’s in Kenmare, co. Kerry (date unknown as usual with TG4)