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Paddy Kelly’s reel

Also known as Conor Tully’s No.2, The Daisy Field.

There are 42 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with Richard Dwyer’s (a few times), Paddy Fahey’s (a few times), The Tinker’s Daughter (a few times) and The West Clare Railway (a few times).

Paddy Kelly's has been added to 93 tunebooks.

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Three settings

X: 1
T: Paddy Kelly's
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:Bc | dG3 dGBd | c=F3 c=FAc | dG3 DGBG | BdcA GABc |
dG3 dGBd | c=F3 c=FAc | dG3 DGBG | BdcA G2 :|
|:Bc | dggf gagf | d2cd ABcA | dg3 bgaf | defg a2gf |
dggf gagf | d2cd ABcA | dG3 DGBG | BdcA G2 :|
X: 2
T: Paddy Kelly's
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
B|dG~G2 dGBd|c=F~F2 cFAc|dG~G2 DGBG|BdcA ~G2Bc|
dG~G2 DGBd|c=F~F2 CFAc|dG~G2 DGBG|BdcA G3:|
B|dggf gagf|dedc ABcA|dggf gagf|defg ~a2gf|
dggf gagf|dedc ABcA|dG~G2 DGBG|BdcA GABc|
dggf gagf|dedc ABcA|dg~g2 bgaf|defg ~a2gf|
dggf gagf|dedc ABcA|dG~G2 DGBG|BdcA G3||
X: 3
T: Paddy Kelly's
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:Bc | dG G2 dGBd | cF F2 cFAc | dG G2 DGBG | (3Bcd cA GABc |
dG G2 DGBd | cF F2 cFAc | dG G2 DGBG | BdcA G2 :|
|:Bc | dggf gagf | d2cd ABcA | dg g2 bgaf | defg a2gf |
dggf gagf | d2cd ABcA | dG G2 DGBG | BdcA G2 :|
# Added by JACKB .

Sixteen comments

I usually play this tune before "The New Custom House", which is another Paddy Kelly composition, as played by Joe Burke on his "Bucks of Oranmore" album.

No. You’re wrong, Paddy. That’s a completely different tune. And this is not the Daisy Field.

Sorry, this is indeed the Daisy Field. But I don’t think the other one is a duplicated version.

Archive Information

I was down at the archive today and found some recordings of the tune which I did not previously know of (Brendan Larrisey, Joe Burke). I also found the tune on Tim Collins’ album "Dancing on Silver".

Larrisey and Burke have under the title "Paddy Kelly’s" and Joe says that Paddy Kelly never named his tunes. He says that The New Customs House title just became attached to the tune which Paddy wrote. Having said that, I heard elsewhere that Paddy wrote St. Ruth’s Bush and intentionally named it in honour of the place in question (it is renowned for some battle or something). So I don’t know where the Daisy Field title originated but Tim Collins and Paddy Canny call the tune that so whether its legitimate or not, it is accepted it seems.

I only got through 50% of the material in the archive today so I’ll try and get through the rest in the future.

The minor variation

On Athena Tergis’ album, there’s the G major reel and then a G modal reel and then it goes back to the G major. Is this the same tune with a variation or is the more modal tune the drunken tinker?

Majorly confused here.

Thanks!

I just answered my own question but now have another one

So that more modal bit is just another version of Paddy Kelly’s. But is that a common variation? I’m taking this to competition this weekend and am wondering if I should do the minor variation.

Thanks again!

Paddy Kelly’s

The 4 part "Paddy Kelly’s" on Athena’s album is either a completely different setting or a different tune. It’s in G and has the same myxolidian sound but otherwise the melody is very distinct from the tune here. The sheet music for the daisy field here makes it "g major" with some f naturals and on the other page https://thesession.org/tunes/5127/comments
it’s described as "g minor". I’m not sure either notation does it justice. I’ve always thought of it very much as a modal tune with a lot of "nyah"; Paddy Canny’s version is (of course) very nice indeed.

Posted by .

Paddy Kelly’s

https://thesession.org/tunes/3221

Athena Turgess was in Aberdeen some years ago as part of Niamh Parsons’ band. She played the above reel - which I posted - as part of a solo. I spoke to her very briefly in a session afterwards, and it was me who told her that the reel she played was Paddy Kelly’s, which I’d heard played by Joe Burke and Finbarr Dwyer. She hadn’t known the title, and therefore composer. I haven’t heard her CD, but I’m assuming this is the tune she recorded.

Posted by .

My iTunes library has 13 tracks containing tunes called Paddy Kelly’s. The ones that match the tune given here are:
Josephine Marsh Band
Ceili Bandits
Damien Connolly
I also have 4 tracks containing tunes called The Daisy Field, each of which is this tune:
Paddy Canny
Mike & Mary Rafferty
Tim Collins
Kevin Crehan

Most, but I don’t think all, of the other 10 Paddy Kelly’s I have, are https://thesession.org/tunes/3221. These include:
Kelly/O’Brien/Sproule (the eponymous album)
Keville/Weir/Dhonaile
Carberry
Tergis
Jesse Smith
Mary MacNamara

Yet a third Paddy Kelly’s is played by Bernard O’Sullivan and Tommy McMahon, and by Joe Burke (Celtic Souls). A fourth one is played by Kelly/O’Brien/Sproule (Traditional Music of Ireland) and Tony Cuffe (Caledonia). I don’t know whether either of these are in the database here.

https://thesession.org/tunes/8261 is the third and fourth ones I referred to above. Turns out they’re the same, but with enough differences in the mode to confuse me. On the other hand, the Kelly/O’Brien/Sproule recording has yet a different Paddy Kelly’s (starting a set with a Johnny Doherty tune).

Seen it called the "Eel in the Sink"

A more accurate transcription of the Joe Burke recording…

X: 2
T: Paddy Kelly’s
S: Joe Burke & Charlie Lennon - The Bucks of Oranmore
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
B|dG~G2 dGBd|c=F~F2 cFAc|dG~G2 DGBG|BdcA ~G2Bc|
dG~G2 DGBd|c=F~F2 CFAc|dG~G2 DGBG|BdcA G3:|
B|dggf gagf|dedc ABcA|dggf gagf|defg ~a2gf|
dggf gagf|dedc ABcA|dG~G2 DGBG|BdcA GABc|
dggf gagf|dedc ABcA|dg~g2 bgaf|defg ~a2gf|
dggf gagf|dedc ABcA|dG~G2 DGBG|BdcA G3||

The Daisy Field

I enjoy the Mary McNamara recording of this tune.