Seán Sa Cheo reel

I have a setting of this tune as played by Kevin Burke if anyone is interested, it is quite different to the standard version
Good Luck
Mikea

Mikea, please post it. I’m curious to see how it matches up to what I do.

The version I learned sits better on fiddle, but fair warning—most flute players won’t like you for it. The A part is in E dorian, but the B and C parts shift into E mix, with G sharps. Goes like this:

T:Sean Sa Cheo
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:E dorian (2 sharps)
|: B2 Ac BEGA | BABG ADFA | EBBA BcdB | AcdB ADFA :||
K:E mixolydian (3 sharps)
|: G~E3 GEFA | G~E3 dBcA | G~E3 BcdB |1 cedB ADFA :|2 cedB A2 (3Bcd ||
| e2 ge fege | efge B2 Bc | d2 fd Adfd | (3ddd fd BcdB |
| e2 ge fege | efge ~B3c | dcdf edBc | dcdB ADFA ||

T:John in the Mist
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Kelly, O’Brien, Sproule - "Traditional_Music_Of_Ireland"
R:reel
Z:g.m.p
K:AMix
|e2dg eABd|e2Ae dGBd|e2dg eABA|B2gd BGBd:|:
cA~A2 cABd|cA~A2 dGBd|cA~A2 eAcA|B2gd BGBd|
cA~A2 cABd|cA~A2 dGBd|afge fded|B2gd BGBg|:
fedg eABd|edeg dGBg|fedg eABA|1B2gd BGBg:|2B2gd BGBd:|

What a shame this had to be lifted straight from Norbeck’s database, typos and all. Even the mode has been changed from the original transcription, which was in Amix, so that now it sort of works but would need a couple of tweaks to make it sound really nice. Good job we still have the likes of Will and GM around to put in the effort towards new transcriptions of recorded material. Thanks. And now I’ll reluctantly step down from my anti-plagiarism soapbox and post my setting.

X: 1
T: Johnny In The Fog
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amix
e2dg eA (3Bcd|e2ec d2BA|Beed e2gd|(3Bcd ge dGBd:|
|:cA~A2 EABd|cA~A2 dGBd|cA~A2 EAcA|1 (3Bcd ge dGBd:|2 (3Bcd ge def^g||
|:a2c’a bac’a|~a2c’a e3f|1 g2bg agbg|~g2bg efge:|2 ~g3b agef|~g3e dGBd||

X: 1
T: Johnny In The Fog
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmix
d2cf dG (3ABc|~d3B c2AG|Add^c d2fc|(3ABc fd cFAc:|
|:BG~G2 DGAc|BG~G2 cFAc|BG~G2 DGBG|1 (3ABc fd cFAc:|2 (3ABc fd cde^f||
|:g2bg agbg|~g2bg d3e|1 f2af gfaf|~f2af defd:|2 ~f2af gfde|~f3d cFAc||

X: 1
T: Johnny In The Fog
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Emix
B2Ad BEFA|~B3G A2FE|FBBA B2dA|FAdB ADFA:|
|:GE~E2 B,EFA|GE~E2 ADFA|GE~E2 B,EGE|1 FAdB ADFA:|2 FAdB ABc^d||
|:e2ge fege|~e2ge B3c|1 d2fd edfd|~d2fd BcdB:|2 ~d2fd edBc|~d3B ADFA||

X: 1
T: Johnny In The Fog
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmix
A2Gc AD (3EFG|A2AF G2ED|EAAG A2cG|(3EFG cA GCEG:|
|:FD~D2 A,DEG|FD~D2 GCEG|FD~D2 A,DFD|1 (3EFG cA GCEG:|2 (3EFG cA GAB^c||
|:d2fd edfd|~d2fd A3B|1 c2ec dcec|~c2ec ABcA:|2 ~c2ec dcAB|~c3A GCEG||

… down in South London, Brian Young (penny whistle, piano backing & electric bass) plays a great solid version of this tune …

Marcas O’Murchu attributes this reel to Mayo fiddler John McGrath, who spent most of his life in N.Y. It seems he also wrote Providence.

im pretty sure it was written in the last century by a donegal fiddler named nellie boyle

Great tune this which I’ve also heard attributed to Neillidh Boyle.

I was just listening to Chieftains 8, and there they play a four-part version of Sean sa Cheo, and say in the liner notes that it derives from the Donegal version of Johnny Doherty. I’ve only ever heard this tune with three parts. Does anyone know anything more about this fourth part?

I’m not sure we’re on the same page, but…

The tune played by John Doherty, and which he called "Lough Isle Castle," is his version of a great Scottish fiddle tune called "The Reel of Tulloch" (https://thesession.org/tunes/7033). According to Danny O’Donnell* that tune is "closely related to "Sean sa Cheo", a Donegal tune believed to have been composed by Neili Boyle."

However, "Sean sa Cheo" on the Chieftains 8 doesn’t appear to have much relation to "Lough Isle Castle".

*= sleeve notes for ‘John Doherty, Taisce - The Celebrated Recordings (1978)

Neillidh Boyle never claimed to have composed this tune. In fact he said it was “one of the old, old Irish reels… a pipe tune, an Irish piper tune, … I don’t know who composed it”. It is in essence the same tune as Lough Isle Castle, only the third part differs. (In Lough Isle Castle, as John Doherty played it, the third part is a variation of the first part.) Neillie Boyle learned this tune from his mother, so it’s pretty certain that it was not composed by John Mc Grath.
Neillidh Boyle talked about this tune on the folktrax recording: http://www.scallta.com/ulstersongs/

Sean sa Cheo, Johnny Doherty, Halleluyah!

Great playing here by Vinnie Kilduff, though bongo guy could do with some betablockers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hGdIYNls_Y

play video

"Music From Ireland, Volume One"
Dave Bulmer & Neal Sharpley, 1974
ISBN: 0-9503784-02

X: 8
T: Sean Sa Céo
B: "Music From Ireland, Volume One", Bulmer & Sharpley, page 12, tune #32
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: AMix
|: (3efe df eABd | efeB d2 BA | Beed efge | Bded cABd :|
|: cA ~A2 BABd | cA ~A2 BGBd | cA ~A2 EA ~A2 |[1 cAed cABd :|[2 cAed cAce ||
~a2 c’a ~a2 c’a | ~a2 c’a e3 f | ~g2 bg agbg | ~g2 bg dgbg |
a2 c’a abc’b | abc’a e2 ef | gfgb agef | gfge dGBd |]

is from the playing of Séamus Cooley (1974), followed by The Old Wheels Of The World.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1887#setting24783

With no interference from any bongo player!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0387zjeB7Q

play video

Hi,
Anyone knows who plays on this video ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df34x6AgLhc

play video

I don’t understand the name at the begining… Frank … ?
Thanks

https://thesession.org/recordings/1472

I think he says "Frank O’Higgins", which is a name I’ve heard before.

https://youtu.be/9LUpIXsRgT4

play video

The name of Frank O’Higgins is mentioned in the sleeve notes to the LP record made by Galway fiddler Martin Byrnes. That’s where I’d heard the name before.

All 3 tracks by Higgins on the "Past Masters Of Irish Music" CD have been uploaded onto "Youtube" - see the one above.

Oh ! Thank you Kenny !

I had no idea that recording of Néillidh Boyle playing this tune was even on Youtube. Great stuff! If I’m not mistaken, I believe he has his fiddle tuned way up so it sounds in A but he’s fingering in G. Am I wrong?

Based on Vinnie Kilduff’s (whistle player) version but with an added second octave G Sharp in the C Part, which can be played with fingers 1-2-4-5, or basically adding four and five to A; however, some whistles don’t take it well. My brass whistles always feel on the verge of cracking with it; but my Nickel Killarney handles it beautifully.