Twenty-five comments
This is a great tune, especially for teaching to players who are just beginning to learn how to choose variations for a tune, which is exactly how I originally learned it from Shannon Heaton. This is the tune also known as Brendan’s Jig in the Chicago area (not sure of the identity of that Brendan, though I suspect it might be Brendan Bulger, one of these days I’ll have to send my spies in Chicago round to ask). The full story of that name is at https://thesession.org/discussions/66 — my god, that was our 66th thread? It’s about a third of the way down the thread.
We (AMF) play the tune in a set that goes Behind the Haystack/Cordal Jig (Julia Clifford’s)/Kitty’s Rambles. Really rocks at a swift and swinging pace!
Zina
Kitty’s Rambles
T:Kitty’s Rambles
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:Mary Bergin
R:jig
Z:g.m.p
K:DMix
|:FDD c2A|dA/B/d efg|fed ^cAG|F/G/AF GFE|
FDD c2A|dA/B/d efg|fed cAG|1Ad^c dAG:|2FAd d2A
|:dfa dfa|daf g2f|ecg ecg|ecg gfe|
~f3 gfg|~a3 efg|fed cAG|1Ad^c d2A:|2Ad^c dfg|
|:afd d^cd|Adf afd|gec cBc|Gce gfe|
fAf gfg|~a3 efg|fed cAG|1Ad^c dfg:|1Ad^c dAG|
Kitty’s Rambles
T:Kitty’s Rambles
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:Laurence Nugent
R:jig
Z:g.m.p.
K:DMix
|:FDD c2A|ded efg|fed cAG|FAF GFE|
FDD c2A|ded efg|fed cAG|1Ad^c dAG:|2FAd d2^c
|:dfa dfa|dfa afd|ceg ceg|ceg gfe|
fdf ~g3|agf efg|fed cAG|1Ad^c d2^c:|2Ad^c dfg|
|:afd ded|Adf afd|gec cBc|Ece gfe|
~f3 ~g3|aza efg|efd cAG|1Ad^c de/f/g:|1Ad^c dAG|
Jesus, Gian Marco, how about YOUR setting? *grin*
Kitty’s Rambles
T:Kitty’s Rambles
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:Frank Lee’s Tara Ceilidh Band (Hayes, Middlesex, September, 1932 )
R:jig
Z:g.m.p.
K:DMix
FED ^cBA|d^cd efg|afd ^cBA|GFG AFD|
FED ^cBA|d^cd efg|afd ^cBG|1Ad^c d3:|2Ad^c d2A|:
dfa dfa|dfa afd|cee cee|ceg gfe|
fdf gfg|aga bag|fed ^cBG|Ad^c d3:|
Sean Keane recorded this tune. He also chooses it alot for solo’s at preformences. Haha, I know Im a Chieftains freak.
Johnathan
I’ve played this for years as a two part jig because I learned it off of Jimmy Powers’ playing on Paddy in the Smoke. Someone I played with last weekend had the third part so I guess I’d better add it on :-)
Colm Gannon, Jesse Smith and John Blake play a version of this tune on their CD "The Ewe With The Crooked Horn". They call it "I’m A Man In Myself Like Oliver’s Bull". (Which must surely win some sort of prize!)
Mcsherry´s version
X: 1
T: Kitty’s Rambles
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmix
|:DFA cAA|dAd efg|fed cAG|FAF GFE|
|DFA cAA|dAd efg|fed cAG|Ad^c d2 D:|
|:dfa dfa|dfa afd|ceg ceg|ceg gfe|
|fdf ggg|afd efg|(3gfed cAG|1 Ad^c d2A:|2 Ad^c d (3efg|
|: afd dAF|Adf a2f|gec cBc|Gce gfe|
|1 fdf ~g3|afd efg|(3gfed cAG|Ad^c d2f:|
|2 fdf ~g3|~a3 bag|(3gfed cAG|Ad^c d2f||
This tune is listed as being recorded by Michael McGoldrick And John McSherry on their At First light Album.
Is this correct?
No….
No, it’s not. There’s a reel on "First Light" called "Brendan’s", and it looks like Zina has posted this as an alternative title to the jig "Kitty’s Rambles" - see first post above. I’m not sure how this website chooses which tune to go for when confronted with 2 tunes with the same name, but on this occasion, it chose the wrong one.
Yet another version
Learnt at the South Sligo Summer School, 2012
X:1
T:Kitty’s Rambles
R:jig
S:Angela Deane
M:6/8
K:Dmix
FDD cAA|d^cd efg|fed cAG|EAG EFG|
FDD cAA|d^cd efg|fed cAG|1 Ad^c dAG:|2 Ad^c d2A||
|:dfa dfa|dfa afd|ceg ceg|ceg gag|
fed efg|~a3 g2e|fed cAG|1 Ad^c d2A:|2 Ad^c de/f/g||
|:afd d^cd|Adf aba|gec cBc|Ace gag|
fed efg|~a3 g2e|fed cAG|1 Ad^c de/f/g:|2 Ad^c dAG||
Hmm - I was in that class. Which one of my classmates are you I wonder…
I’m A Man In Myself Like Oliver’s Bull.
Added X:7
Source: Joyce, Patrick Weston: Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (Dublin, 1909)
"The Olivers were the local landlords of my native place sixty or seventy years
ago. The name of the tune was quite a common saying, and was applied to a
confident, self-helpful person."
Okay, so this setting has only two parts… I find the third part a bit redundant, anyway (depends on the setting)…
I’m A Man In Myself Like Oliver’s Bull
Jesse Smith and Colm Gannon recently recorded the short version of the tune, citing Joyce Collection as the source.
Kitty’s Rambles
X:8 Setting from Michael Coleman’s very first recording, 1920 I believe.
Murray’Maggot
Jig nr 1011 out of munster pipers vol II James Goodman manuscrpts.
ITMA Collection.
Sorry all,
Looks a lot like Kitty’s Rambles.
Kitty’s Rambles, X:10
This setting appears in O’Farrell’s Pocket Companion for the Irish or Union Pipes, vol. 1, 1806, p. 33, as Kitty’s Rambles to Youghall.
Kitty’s Rambles, X:11
This setting, as transcribed by Sharon Creasey from the mid-19th century Gunn Book, and included in the 2003 book "Hidden Fermanagh", is called "The Heart of my Kitty". The A part is a little different than the other settings already posted. It lays well on the pipes.
Kitty’s Rambles, X:12
Piping version
Kitty’s Rambles, X:13
From the O’Neill’s 1001; includes an extra 3rd section not present in any of these other versions so far.
Kitty’s Ramble
For ITM study group in Korea.
Re: Kitty’s Rambles
Already here: https://thesession.org/tunes/1843
Kitty’s Rambles, X:14
Taken from ‘A Fine Selection of Over 200 Irish Traditional Tunes for Sessions’, compiled by David Speers with a Forward by Matt Cranitch. I’ve changed the key signature here to better show it’s a D mix tune (in the book it was written with two sharps and many accidentals, instead of only two accidentals when written with one sharp, if that makes sense!!)