Kitty’s Rambles jig

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

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|

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*

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!)

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, 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.

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…

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)…

Jesse Smith and Colm Gannon recently recorded the short version of the tune, citing Joyce Collection as the source.

X:8 Setting from Michael Coleman’s very first recording, 1920 I believe.

Jig nr 1011 out of munster pipers vol II James Goodman manuscrpts.

ITMA Collection.

Sorry all,
Looks a lot like Kitty’s Rambles.

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.

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.

Piping version

From the O’Neill’s 1001; includes an extra 3rd section not present in any of these other versions so far.

For ITM study group in Korea.

Already here: https://thesession.org/tunes/1843

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!!)

Version similar to the one Tommy Reck plays.