The Road To Ballymac reel

Comments later.

Great tune Kenny - thanks. This was in Treoir 20 or so years ago when I first learnt it but, not being a very common session tune, I stopped playing it and forgot it until this posting. It’s definitely one to be resurrected - anyone got ideas on a couple of reels to go with it?

Road to Ballymac / Fox on the Town / Pachelbels Frolics
The Ash Plant / The Road to Ballymac / The Congress Reel
The Road to Ballymac / Mulhaire’s Reel
The Road to Ballymac / Corriga Grove / The Cloone Reel
Mollie McCarthy / The Road to Ballymac / The Linen Cap

Composed by the accordeon player Vincent Leslie.

Thanks Gian - think I’ll go for the second option as I was already wondering what to put with the Congress

This comes from the LP of mainly Co. Leitrim music by Jack Lee(flute), and Manus Maguire(fiddle). Also recorded by Turlough Boylan. It seems to have been overlooked somewhat. Should be played more, I think. Thanks for the information on the composer, and suggested sets, Gian Marco. I wonder if this is something contributers should try to do more - suggest other tunes which may follow/precede the tune posted. Anyone could make suggestions.

I should have also said that the title of the Lee/Maguire recording is “The Missing Reel”.

Recorded by Sharon Shannon on “Bringing it all back home”, in A. As far as I remember the whole set has been “geared up a notch” (Unknown in D (usually in C)/Ballymac in A/Congress in Bm).
Brilliant tune though.

hei, isit Ballymacarbry or something like that? I think is’t a village 20 miles south of Clonmelco. Tipperary. I’ve been there last august, as it was the only place round Clonmel with room to spend the night in during the last Fleadh!

You are right Giovanni Ballymacarberry is near Clonmel and this tune refers to the same. I live about ten miles west of here.
Good Luck
Mike Allen.

Hey Kenny, I just compared this tune to the source you got it from, and there are some discrepancies in the B part that I noticed:

Bd d2 edBd | egg2 a2 ga | bgag egde | gedB ABG2 |
Bd d2 edBd | eg g2 a2 ga | bgag egdB |1 cAFA G2 GE :|2 cAFA G4 ||

Hello Everyone,
I’m glad everyone likes this reel so much as it is without doubt one of the most lively tunes to play in a session or concert or for dancers. I would like to point out that the actual composer is a wonderful gentleman from Co.Antrim named Leslie Craig. I cannot confirm whether the tune is in fact named after the village in Tipperary but i can definitely confirm its composer. Leslie is a great accordion player and it is common knowledge in the Fiddle and Accordion clubs around Belfast and Antrim that he is the composer. I would just like to add that there are several composers out there that do not get the credit they deserve and through time and ‘chinese whispers’ information these people are stripped of the credit they actually deserve. I unfortunately did not know who composed this reel when I recorded it but a month after the album was released I was duly informed. I hope this information will be of some use to you all. Keep playing this reel as it truly is a fantastic piece.

I was wondering when the composer would be identified correctly-I believe Leslie originally composed it in the key of F.

Yes compsed by Leslie Craig who is now playing with Ceilidh Band ‘Haste to the Wedding’ a short sound sample on their web pages www.hastetothewedding.com

Yes Cos, he did compose it in F. But what ‘mattmcgranaghan’ forgot to mention was that it’s the ‘Piano Accordion’ he plays, so of course F is nae bother to him.

Well actually Button, the way I have this tune is as follows:

|:DG (3GGG BAGA | Bd (3ddd e2 de | gd (3ddd egde | gedB ABGE |
DG (3GGG BAGA | Bd (3ddd e2 de | gd (3ddd egdB |1 AGAB G2 GE :|2 AGAB G2 GA ||
Bd (3ddd edBd | eg (3ggg a2 ga | bgag egde | gedB ABGA |
Bd (3ddd edBd | eg (3ggg a2 ga | bgag egdB |1 AGAB G2 GA :|2 AGAB G4 ||

It’s a great Banjo tune & yes, it is played a lot around here, Leslie’s native Co. Antrim.

You can see a photo of Leslie in action, up at the Skerry Inn, a great session pub, high in the Antrim Hills, overlooking Ballymena hey!.
Leslie is 2nd from the right, in the Left hand photo:

http://www.causewaymusic.co.uk/absentfriends.html

i recognise the first medley given, and i think that those tunes sound great together.
i love the way the were played by the bradley brothers, oh and this is a very popular feis tune

Yes this is a Leslie Craig tune, usually played with it’s sister composition “ The Silver Birch” ( An equally beautiful tune). And it’s original key is F major. The tune refers to a trip that Leslie and some of the local lads had down to a festival in Ballymacarbery, Co.Waterford, and the debauchery that probably went along with it.

The composer who really wote this tune
is, Leslie Craig - cullybacky ,co antrim,,
I play with him nearly every week-
see,,http://www.hastetothewedding.com/
Thank-you
jim mcauley..

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on July 4th 2007 by FIDDLE4.
~ /tunes/7447

X: 2
T: The Road To Ballymac
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: G Major
|: GE |
DG G/G/G BAGA | Bd d/d/d e2 de | gd d/d/d egde | gBdB ABGE |
DG G2 BAGA | Bd d/d/d e2 de | gd d/d/d egdB | ABGF G2 :|
|: GA |
Bd d/d/d edBd | eg g/f/g a2 ga | bgag egde | gBdB ABGA |
Bd d/d/d edBd | eg g/f/g a2 ga | bgag egdB | ABGF G2 :|

This I beleave this is the closest to the way the composer plays his reel. If you wish to here leslie craig playing this tune and two other of his compositions go to:

http://www.hastetothewedding.com/ ~ and purchase our CD

Or listen to him playing it on a sound sample here:

http://www.hastetothewedding.com/id3.htm

under , The Ballymac set. ~ jim mcauley.

# Posted on July 4th 2007 by FIDDLE4

What do you mean ‘reels that could go with it’?
Like some one else playing the reel and you playing the tune?

:S

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oCbdkZaxt4

play video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwcLL9qdqb8

play video

1st tune in a set of three reels played by Sharon Shannon, Mary Custy and Eoin O’Neill on the Bringing it all Back Home album (CD1).
This is my only source for this tune.

Let me know if this is a duplicate (under what other name?), I tried to find it on this database and elsewhere and got nowhere.

A gorgeous reel (hexatonic with a sprinkling of lydian 4ths -or blue 5ths depending on how you hear it);
I tried to convey some of the nyah of these young musician’s rendition (1991!) in my abc…

I’m getting slow. Took me just over 20 mins to remember this : https://thesession.org/tunes/2251

This is a rescued duplicate…
…a transcription of the 1st tune in the “Kevin Griffins” set of three reels played by Sharon Shannon, Mary Custy and Eoin O’Neill on the Bringing it all Back Home album (CD1).
Their playing is both powerful anf full of finesse; there is a lot going on and it sounds like there are more than three musicians playing.
I took down what the accordion is (or seems to be) doing.

A gorgeous reel -fair play to Leslie Craig!
In this rendition (Sharon Shannon et al.) it is mostly hexatonic with a sprinkling of lydian 4ths -or blue 5ths depending on how you hear it.

The actual pitch on the CD is G-flat.
The set moves from G to D to B*;
G maj.(lyd): The road to Ballymac
D ion. / lyd.: Andy McGann’s
B aeol. / dor.: The Congress reel
(*Actually Gb/Db/Bb or F#/C#/A# depending on the original tuning of the instruments…)
The sleeve notes for that album do not list up all the tunes (or credit all the composers indeed) so thank you all for your enlightening posts and comments!

You are as quick as a lightening bolt Kenny!
Thank you v much for your help.
I have now edited the album details and transferred this-here DUPLICATE to The Road to Ballymac (/2251).
I suppose Jeremy will do the rest..