The Birmingham reel

By Tommy Whelan

Also known as Eddie Moloney’s, The Kinvara, The Mayo, Tommy Whelan’s No.8.

There are 15 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The Birmingham appears in 4 other tune collections.

The Birmingham has been added to 7 tune sets.

The Birmingham has been added to 59 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Five settings

1
X: 1
T: The Birmingham
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
g2gf gdBd|gdBd ea~a2|g2gf gdBd|1 ecAc BGGf:|2 ecAc BGGF||
|:G2dB ~G3D|G2Bd eA~A2|GA (3Bcd g2ge|fdcA AGFA:|
|:G2DG BGdG|~G2dG FDEF|~G3A (3Bcd eg|1 fdcA AGFA:|2 fdcA BG~G2||
2
X: 2
T: The Birmingham
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
g3f gdBd|g2dg fgaf|~g3f gdBd|1 ecAc BGBd:|2 ecAc BGAB||
|:GB~B2 G2ge|fddc A2BA|GABd gage|1 fdcA AGAB:|2 fdcA AGBd||
3
X: 3
T: The Birmingham
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
~g3 f {g}gd B/c/d|gd B/c/d e2 ab|{f}~g3 f {g}gd B/c/d|ecAc BG B/c/d||
{f}~g3 f {g}gd B/c/d|gd B/c/d e2 ab|{f}(3gag fa {b}gd B/c/d|ecAc {c}BG{B}AF||
Gd B/c/d ~G3 z|Gd B/c/d e ~A3|Gd B/c/d g2 eg|fdcA {B}AGFA||
Gd B/c/d ~G3 z|Gd B/c/d e ~A3|Gd B/c/d .g3 e|fd c/B/A {B}AGFA||
~G2 dG {B}AG dG|~G2 dG FDFA|{F}~G3 d B/c/d e2|{b}fdcA {B}AGFA||
~G2 dG {B}AG dB|GBdG FDFA|{F}~G3 d B/c/d e2|{b}fdcA {B}AGfa||
# Added by iTrad .
4
X: 4
T: The Birmingham
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
~g2gf gd Bd|g2gd eaaf|~g2gf gd Bd|1 ec Ac BG Bd:|2 ec Ac BG GF||
|:Gd BA G3D|Gd Bd eA BA|GA Bd ~g2ge|1 fd cA BG AF:|2 fd cA BG GF||
|:G2dG (3Bcd ef|g2DG FD EF|G2dG (3Bcd eg|1 fd cA BG AF:|2 fd cA Bd ef||
5
X: 5
T: The Birmingham
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:g2gf gdBd|gdBd ea~a2|1 g2gf gd (3Bcd|eBAd Bgg2:|2 g2gf gG (3Bcd|eAAd BGGD||
|:GdBd ~G3D|GdBd eA~A2|Gd (3Bcd g2ge|fdcA AGGD:|
|:G2DG BGdG|~G2dG FDFA|1 ~G2dG (3Bcd eg|fdcA AGGD:|2 ~G3d BG (3Bcd|gdcA BGBd||
# Added by Nico .

Nine comments

Birmingham Reel/Eddie Moloney’s

This is starting to gain popularity in Sydney sessions, and this setting comes from a session recording. It appears on Frankie Gavin’s “Up And Away” (track 1) as “Eddie Moloney’s”. I got what I think is the original name of “Birmingham Reel” from looking at Paddy O’Brien sets.

Apparently another title is “The Kinvara Reel”.

Birmingham Reel

This appears in a 2-part setting as the “Birmingham Reel” on Four Men & a Dog’s “Doctor A’s Secret Remedies”. Their B-part is reminiscent of the A-part of the Scartaglen Reel.

X: 1
T: The Birmingham Reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
S: Four Men & a Dog
K: Gmaj
g3f gdBd|g2dg fgaf|~g3f gdBd|1 ecAc BGBd:|2 ecAc BGAB||
|:GB~B2 G2ge|fddc A2BA|GABd gage|1 fdcA AGAB:|2 fdcA AGBd||

Version from Mary Bergin

X: 1
T: Birmingham Reel
M: C|
L: 1/8
R: Reel
K: Gmaj
S: A.K.A. Eddie Moloney’s - Mary Bergin Youtube Clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4hos7ZkRl8

Z: George Grasso - 21 November 2010
~g3 f {g}gd B/c/d | gd B/c/d e2 ab | {f}~g3 f {g}gd B/c/d | ecAc BG B/c/d ||
{f}~g3 f {g}gd B/c/d | gd B/c/d e2 ab |{f}(3gag fa {b}gd B/c/d | ecAc {c}BG{B}AF |]
[|Gd B/c/d ~G3 z | Gd B/c/d e ~A3 | Gd B/c/d g2 eg | fdcA {B}AGFA ||
Gd B/c/d ~G3 z | Gd B/c/d e ~A3 | Gd B/c/d .g3 e | fd c/B/A {B}AGFA |]
[| ~G2 dG {B}AG dG | ~G2 dG FDFA | {F}~G3 d B/c/d e2 | {b}fdcA {B}AGFA ||
~G2 dG {B}AG dB | GBdG FDFA | {F}~G3 d B/c/d e2 | {b}fdcA {B}AGfa |]

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The Birmingham, X:4

Based on the playing of Dylan Foley and Josh Dukes, from the album “The New York Connection”.

Re: The Birmingham

This reel is played on whistle by Eddie Moloney on the recording “Eddie Moloney, Master Musician” CD#2, track #13. He has its’ title as “Tommy Whelan’s No.8”, probably indicating that Tommy Whelan was the composer. The recording was made in 1974, in the RTE studios in Dublin by Ciaran MacMathuna for “Ceili House”.

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Tommy Whelan’s #8

As Kenny mentioned, Eddie Moloney played this tune, and this is transcribed from the Master Musician double CD, disc 2, track 13. He jumped the octave quite a bit, especially when playing whistle, so the bottom Ds are often in the second octave instead. This was an attempt to capture some of the variations, but he changes the endings during the playing, so definitely listen to get all the details.

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