Inisheer waltz

this is not really a waltz to be honest but a 3/4 slow air. it is more lyrically phrased and should be played fairly slow. this tune is very nice on a fiddle whistle, or as demonstrated by catriona mackay on the fiddlers bid cd ‘hamnataing’ it lends itself to the harp well. it is written by thomad walsh, btu i know little of this composer

I looked all over the web for info on Thomas Walsh and and whether or not the composer is modern, & not wanting to step on anyone’s copyright privileges, permission to play the tune I finally emailed Cherish the Ladies. Joanie said that Thomas Walsh is alive & well and would be thrilled to know that we were playing his music.

Thanks so much for posting this slow air. It is really a beautiful one indeed. I heard it first from Patrick Flanagan, a whistle player from Michigan who has been hanging out in and around Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher. He recorded a nice version of it—well, the only version I’ve ever heard—on his own CD of tunes entitled "The Morning After the Night Before." Let me know if anyone would like to get in touch with him and perhaps he could get you a copy. I look forward to hearing the version by Catriona Mackay on the Fiddlers Bid CD. Thanks!

On the cd "Hamnataing" by Fiddlers Bid this tune is credited to Pat McNulty the Irish piper and not Thomas Walsh -which is right? I would like to give credit to the right person -it’s a great tune.

I too have been searching over a year for its author-Thomas P Walsh comes up a number of times. Does Revirish know if Joanie’s response about Tom Walsh would include "playing" or using his tune on a recording? Was that the intent of the question? Osgood

Have been reading with interest the comments about this tune. It is indeed a classic and played here in Ireland just about everywhere but, especially in the Dublin area-which is Tommy’s hometown. I rang my good friend Tommy Walsh to let him know about this discussion. Like Joanie said he is delighted to know people are talking about and playing his music.

Tommy is alive and well and living in Dunboyne (just outside Dublin). He’d be happy to answer question about his music and can be contacted on 35318255462

Slan

Well, I can confirm that Thomas Walsh has no beef with his tune being posted here.

I got an email from him. It said simply "Thank you".

🙂

I believe the spelling listed for alternate title should be "Inis Oir", not "Oirr". I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong.

IMHO everybody composing an ‘irtrad tune’ might be honored by having it published here or played in a session. Do you think the tune is copyright protected and we should pay for it each time we play it in public or even when publishing it on CD?

Thanks for any opinions
Urs

I got an email from Sinead Walsh, daughter of Thomas:

"Hi my name is Sinead Walsh. I’m the daughter of Tommy Walsh. I just wanted let to let you know that yes my dad is alive and well. He also has Rereleased inisheer and alot of other airs he composed on a new album "Ethnic tears". I’m happy to see you like his music and he would be delighted."

Joanie Madden (Whistle) and Eileen Ivers (fiddle) introduced this tune to their respective classes during Irish Week workshops at Augusta (WV) in 1987, and when played ensemble for the students concert, it was a smashing hit. BTW the other tune was "If Ever You Were Mine", also a KEEPER. I play the version from Buttons and Bows CD which has a second ending for part B. If anyone is interested please e-mail me

Tommy Walsh has also published a book "Tin Whistle Legends" but Inis Oir is not in it. Nevertheless I can heartily recommend the book for whistle enthusiasts. The title means Eastern Island of the three Aran Islands and there is a small pub there that serves the best seafood chowder I have ever eaten,….. anywhere?

All, Regarding the copyright to Inisheer. Thomas Walsh has copyrighted the tune, and he would like anyone who is recording the tune professionally to make arrangements for the use through the publishing company that represents him, www.crashedmusic.com. I am in the process of arranging use of the tune for a CD for the group I am in, and they seem to be good folks to work with. So if you plan to record this tune, give the author his due and pay for use of the rights.
Thanks,
AL Brown

After asking people at the Sessions for some recommended beginner tunes, Inis Oir was suggested. It is a beautiful and easy one to learn and I recommend it as well for other learners.

Inis Oírr would be the Irish spelling….if you so choose.

Can anyone confirm whether or not this tune is Traditional Irish - I teach a young flute band who played this at the Ulster Fleah but one of the judges queried if it was traditional! We have the all ireland this weekend and would be great if someone could confirm either way!! Thanks

Read the comments above.

Sorry - first time on here was just looking a definite yes or no

No problem, maisy. Welcome to the "Session". Good luck at the Fleadh.

A "keeper" - that’s a word I haven’t heard for some time, used in the sense of something big / good enough to keep. As a boy I went fishing a lot, and where I fished it meant a trout on or over the size limit, rather than a gamekeeper. There’s definitely an overlap between game fishing and UK / Irish TM, if only because both tend to inhabit the best landscapes.

Years ago one of my students asked me to teach this to a class. I got hold of a record by a band called Innisheer, thinking if anyone knew it, they would. I learnt it off the record and started spreading it about. Some time later, when I started hearing other people playing it at sessions, I realised that my version differed significantly from what other folk played. Now every time someone starts it up, I cringe because I knew anyone who learnt it from me is going to clash! This is the way I scattered it around Edinburgh:


X:1
T:Innisheer
T:Inisheer
S:Sounds from the Atlantic, Innisheer
M:3/4
K:G
DGA | B3 AB<d | B3 AB<d | E3 cBG | A3
DGA | B3 AB<d | B3 AB<d | D3 B A/G/F | G3 :|
ABd | e3 fed | B3 ABd | e3 dBd | e3 fgf |
e3 fed | B3 ABd | D3 B A/G/F | G3 :|

How can I get ahold of this Thomas Walsh for permission to record this tune? It’s a home project - not a professional CD.

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on July 25th 2007 by spindizzy.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7542

X: 1
T: Eagle’s Feather, The
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: G Major
|:D GA |
B2 BA Bd | B2 BA Bd | E3 B AB | D3 E (3FED |
B2 BA Bd | B2 BA Bd | E3 B AB | G3 :|
|:A Bd |
e2 ef ed | B2 BA Bd | ef ed Bd | e3 f gf |
e2 ef ed | B2 BA Bd | E3 B AB | G3 :|

A Slow Air rather than a waltz - we play this with "Eleanor Plunkett" for a slow set ~
https://thesession.org/tunes/2575

This is a vanilla version - add ornaments to taste.

According to the sleeve notes on the Garva CD this is a pipe tune, also known as "The Women’s Lament for the Dead".

# Posted on July 25th 2007 by spindizzy

The previous is another rescued duplication…

| G | G/B (or Em) | C | D |
| G | G/B (or Em) | Am7 D |1 G D :|2 G G/B |
|: C | Bm | Em Em/D | C G/B |
| Am7 | Bm | D D/F# |1 G G/B :|2 G |

hey, this waltz is in G major, but it’s listed as
Dmixolydian. Can somebody fix that? It took me
forever to find it in the database cause
I was looking for tunes in G major.

Yeah, mandomaj, I’ve complained about that tendency with the tunes here, before. As I recall the gist of the discussion was telling me to ‘Go away, they’re basically the same, aren’t they?’

Miffed, I was …

No they’re not… Who told you to ~ ‘Go away, they’re basically the same, aren’t they?’ Go awn, point em out to us…

Damn, I’m stuck, anybody out there know how to make a mean smilie? 😏

I have only just found this tune. It is my absolute favourite piece ever and it’s on Thomas Walsh’s CD "The Plassey on the Rocks", which I bought from him when he played in a pub in Dublin in June. In the CD it says that he composed the tune and wrote the lyrics (he got his friend to translate them into Irish for the song). I just wish I could learn the lyrics properly :(

Is there printed sheet music with treble and bass suitable for intermediate to advanced Celtic harp? I have a recording on the CD "Border Lords" done by Rick Stanley. It is such a lovely piece.

Any idea what year this tune was composed in?

Would it be alright with Thomas Walsh for someone to make a non-commercial video playing this tune (that is to say, not seeking to make any money from it, just to play the tune on a youtube video)-

Zep

X:1
T:Inisheer
S: Joe McKenna
T: Manuel Novo
M:3/4
L:1/8
K:G Major
D2|B3 A Bd|B3 A Bd|E3 B AB|D3 B AG|B3 A Bd|B3 A (3BdB|G3 B AD|G3 DGA|
B3 A Bd|B3 A Bd|e3 def |A3 BAG|B3 A Bd|B3 A (3BdB|G3 B AD|G3 ABd||
||:e3 f ed|B3 A Bd|gf ed Bd|e3 f gf|!
e3 f ed|B3 A (3BdB|G3 B AD|G4:|!

I’m sure that Thomas Walsh will honored and happy for us to play and record his tune. But a word of caution!

A quick search using the Songfile tool at the Harry Fox Agency website shows that the tune is indeed registered to Thomas Walsh. Anyone wishing to make a recording or video of this tune must therefore purchase a mechanical (or other appropriate) license via the Fox website.

The potential penalty for NOT doing so is draconian. I can say that the process is not difficult or expensive, as I recently had to do this for a couple of songs on our band’s new CD. Perhaps the composer might then get a few well deserved bucks in royalties.

No, I’m not the "tune police," or even a fan of them, but this is one way in which we can protect and support our fellow artists (and protect our own backsides).

Now what I’d really like to know is whether Mr. Walsh has actually EVER gotten a royalty check for this tune……

As an instrumental and a song at: http://www.myspace.com/thomaswalshmusic

I added a setting that I transcribed from a recording by Thomas Walsh, the composer himself.

Just a YouTube version I recorded of it, played more in the style of an air http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtmsSCEcP-A

play video

Hope this helps someone

I’ve added my transcription of the tune as it was played by Buttons and Bows.

OK, ‘Daev’, that was strange - I was just listening to ‘Buttons and Bows’ and then took it up to A and back again. I’ve added it in A and without swing, the way I was playing it.

As the composer of Inisheer I want to state categoricaly that the Egales Feather has nothing whatsoever to do with my composition. Who ever decided to rename it that is completely bonkers, enough said.
So fellow musicians and composers please just enjoy and dont get involved in this stupid carry on. All the best for now, and if you would like my book with all my compositions please let me know at tppwalsh@gmail.com.

From "Micamac" by Korrigans there is a tune titled "Air" played in a regular 3/4 slow waltz time.

https://thesession.org/tunes/211

http://youtu.be/TW_fe9m4MVA

play video

Setting as played at the Golden Guinea pub session, Bristol, UK.

https://youtu.be/22EZ02kmV64

play video

Sorry, but the volume is quite low.

I had avoided this tune for many years as overplayed and a little hackneyed. Which was wrong of me.

I recently attended the funeral of a much beloved fiddler here in South Florida named George Walker. He was within a year or two of 90 years old, as is his widow. His family asked me if I’d play a few tunes in his honor at the viewing, which was a tremendous privilege for me. They specifically asked for this tune, Inisheer. It turns out this was his widow’s favorite tune, and they would dance to it years ago, when they were much younger, and she wanted to hear it, once again, with Mr. Walker there in the room with us, one last time. George was there with his fiddle in the casket.

I went back and looked for more in the tune than I had heard before, and found it. Much more. Beautiful tune. Playing that tune for Mrs. Walker and her family was the best thing I ever did, musically, and I’ll always think of George and his family when playing that tune. Thank you, Mr. Walsh, for that musical gift to a very sweet lady, remembering her very sweet husband.

My version for teaching 🙂

really like this tune goes well together with green glens of antrim, which i got off the flutetunes site seams the same tune to me in either g major or d mix?

Watch the video on Youtube of Tommy Walsh and his group Turlough
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM6rqnt6gpk

play video

Watch it right through, has someone singing it as well

Anyone know where one might acquire the lyrics for this tune?

You could try a private message to Mr Walsh himself! If you scroll up the thread, you’ll see that he posted 3 years ago, AND gave out his email address.

The song as sung is really beautiful! Thanks for posting

My Orkney fiddle class enjoyed playing this. Is Inisheer one of the Aran islands? Is "Inishboffin" another (I love that name)?

I made a piano low whistle arrangement for this just for fun https://youtu.be/ayktvhpjSJM

play video

I love reading about where and when tunes are played. Just went looking and found some more background on this tune…
http://www.folkworld.eu/33/e/inisheer.html

X14 above is the only setting that is played as written by the composer Tommy Walsh as you can hear him play it in the video .I have actually played it with Tommy in sessions in Dunboyne,

X14 ?

I don’t see an X14, the submissions only go as far as X13.

I notice that in Tommy’s video he plays the B part noticeably different to the way it’s often played in sessions. I must respect the composer and change the way that I play it from now on.

Based on this version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHXw2KDN_Fw&t=64s with my own interpretation

play video