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The Fairhaired Boy reel

Also known as Fair Haired Boy, The Fair Haired Boy, The Fair-Haired Boy, Micho Russell’s.

There are 78 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with Bill Harte’s (a few times), The Fairhaired Boy (a few times), The Green Gates (a few times) and The Laurel Tree (a few times).

The Fairhaired Boy has been added to 1 tune set.

The Fairhaired Boy has been added to 70 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Three settings

X: 1
T: The Fairhaired Boy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
~A3G FGAB|=cAdc BG~G2|ABAG FAde|fdec Add2:|
~f3d e2de|~f3d ecA2|~f3d e2de|fdec Add2|
~f3d e2de|~f3d edcB|ABcd efge|~a3g fdd2||
X: 2
T: The Fairhaired Boy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
~A3G FGAB|=cAdc BG~G2|ABAG FAdg|fdec Add2:|
~f2df efde|~f2df ecA2|~f2df efde|fdec Add2|
~f2df efde|~f2df ecA^G|ABcd efge|afge fdd2||
X: 3
T: The Fairhaired Boy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
c | ABAG FGAB | =cAdc BG G2 | A z AG FGAe | fdec Addc |
A2 AG FGAB | =cAdc BG G2 | A z AG FGAe | fdec Add ||
g | f2 df efdg | f2 df ec A2 | f2 df efdg | fdec Addg |
f2 df efdg | f2 df ec A2 | ABcd efge | ageg fdd ||

Six comments

Really nice tune, seldom played

I learned this one from the Cathal McConnell pennywhistle course. I think it is associated with the playing of Micho Russell. It’s a terrific tune to play at a medium tempo with a bit of lilt. Very satisfying. Triplet figures would also fit quite nicely into a few places to give a little extra bounce, if that suits you. It would probably make a fabulous concertina tune.

I just noticed this being played on an old private recording of New York fiddlers Lad O’Bierne and Louis Quinn.

Posted by .

Fair-Haired Boy - the reel

Here’s the way Michael Hynes plays it on the recording he made with Dennis Liddy called, ‘Waifs And Strays (Traditional Irish Music From County Clare)’.

X: 1
T: Fair-Haired Boy, The
S: Michael Hynes
Z: Jack Gilder
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
~A3G FGAB|=cAdc BG~G2|ABAG FAdg|fdec Add2:|
~f2df efde|~f2df ecA2|~f2df efde|fdec Add2|
~f2df efde|~f2df ecA^G|ABcd efge|afge fdd2||

Another “Micho Russell’s”

This appears to be the tune played on the Molloy-Keane-O’Flynn album "Fire Aflame" they list as "Micho Russell’s. A search for a reel named Micho Russell’s on TheSessions gives back many different tunes of that name — which only have in common the name itself!

The Fairhaired Boy, X:3

As played by Gavin Whelan on his album In Full Flight (2009). As others did (noted above) he calls it "Micho Russell’s".

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