The Walls Of Liscarrol jig

Also known as Andy Hehir’s, Ballaí Lios Cearbhaill, Fallaí Luimní, The Lads On The Mountain, The Little Black Pig, The Walls Of Liscaroll.

There are 33 recordings of this tune.

The Walls Of Liscarrol appears in 2 other tune collections.

The Walls Of Liscarrol has been added to 70 tune sets.

The Walls Of Liscarrol has been added to 535 tunebooks.

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Ten settings

1
X: 1
T: The Walls Of Liscarrol
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
dcA AGE|GED D2E|GEE cEE|GAB cde|
dcA AGE|GED D2E|GEE cEE|GED D3:|
dcA ecA|dcA ecA|GEE cBc|GAB cde|
[1 dcA ecA|dcA ecA|GEE cEE|GED D3:|
[2 dcA AGE|GED D2E|GEE cEE|GED D3||
2
X: 2
T: The Walls Of Liscarrol
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Edor
f|edB BAF|ABA FAB|AFA dAF|ABc d2f|
edB BAF|ABA FAB|AFA dAF|EFE E2:|
z|ede fdB|dBA FAB|ABd efg|fed e2f|
gfe fed|edB d2B|AFA dAF|EFE E2:|
3
X: 3
T: The Walls Of Liscarrol
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
dcA AGE|GED D2E|GEE cEE|GAB cde|
dcA AGE|GED D2E|GEE cEE|EDD D3:|
d2d ecA|d2d ecA|GEE c2c|GAB cde|
[1d2d ecA|d2d ecA|GEE cEE|EDD D3:|
[2dcA AGE|GED D2E|GEE cEE|EDD D3||
4
X: 4
T: The Walls Of Liscarrol
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
dcA GED|AGE D2 E|GEE cEE|GAB c3|
dcA GED|AGE D2 E|GEE cEE|GED D3:|
dcd ecA|dcd ecA|GEE cEE|GAB c3|
dcd ecA|dcd ecA|GEE cEE|GED D3:|
5
X: 5
T: The Walls Of Liscarrol
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Edor
e|edB BAF|AFE E2F|AFF dFF|ABc def|
edB BAF|AFE E2F|AFF DFF|FED E2:|
e|eBe fdB|eBe fdB|AFF dFF|ABc def|
[1 gfe fed|edB d2B|AFA dAF|EFE E2:|
[2 edB BaF|AFE E2F|AFF DFF|FED E2||
# Added by daiv .
6
X: 6
T: The Walls Of Liscarrol
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
|:d|dcA AGE|GEE D2E|GEE cEE|GAB cde|
dcA AGE|GEE D2E|GEE cEE|D3 D2:|
|:dB/c/d ecA|dB/c/d ecA|GEE cEE|GAB cde|
dB/c/d ecA|dB/c/d ecA|GEE cEE|D3 D3|
|:dB/c/d ecA|dB/c/d ecA|GEE cEE|GAB cde
dcA AGE|GEE D2E|GEE cEE|D3 D3|
# Added by JACKB .
7
X: 7
T: The Walls Of Liscarrol
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Ador
age edB|dBA A2B|dBB gBB|def gab|
age edB|dBA A2B|dBB gBB|ABA A2a:|
aea bge|aea bge|dBB gBB|def gab|
[1aea bge|aea bge|dBB gBB|ABA A3:|
[2 age edB|dBA A2B|dBB gBB|ABA A2a||
8
X: 8
T: The Walls Of Liscarrol
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Edor
e|:"Em"edB "Em"BAF|"D"AFE "Em"E2F|"D"AFF "D"dFF|"Bm"ABc "Bm"def|
"Em"edB "Em"BAF|"D"AFE "Em"E2F|"D"AFF "D"DFF|"Em"FED "Em"E2 e:|
|:"Em"eBe "Em"fdB|"Em"eBe "Em"fdB|"D"AFF "D"dFF|"Bm7"ABc "Bm7"def|
[1 "Em"gfe "Em"fed|"Em"edB "Em"d2B|"D"AFA "D"dAF|"Em"EFE "Em"E2e:|
[2 "Am7"edB "Am7"BAF|"Bm7"AFE "Bm7"E2F|"D"AFF "D"DFF|"Em"FED "Em"E3||
# Added by Bryce .
9
X: 9
T: The Walls Of Liscarrol
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Ddor
|:dcA AGE|GED D2E|GEE cEE|GAB cde|
dcA AGE|GED D2E|GEE cEE|DED D3:|
|:dAd ecA|dAd ecA|GEE cEE|GAB cde|
[1 dAd ecA|dAd ecA|GEE cEE|DED D3:|
[2 dcA AGE|GED D2E|GEE cEE|DED D3||
10
X: 10
T: The Walls Of Liscarrol
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
dcA GED|AGE D2 E|GEE cEE|GAB c3|
dcA GED|AGE D2 E|GEE cEE|GED D3:|
dcd ecA|dcd ecA|GEE cEE|GAB c3|
dcd ecA|dcd ecA|GEE cEE|GED D3:|

Twenty-two comments

Harry Bradley’s Version

Yes, the Walls of Liscarroll is a lovely jig and I’ve been enjoying playing the standard Edor version of it. But I couldn’t resist learning Harry Bradley’s unusual setting. It goes like this:

K: Edor
f|edB BAF|ABA FAB|AFA dAF|ABc d2f|
edB BAF|ABA FAB|AFA dAF|EFE E2:|
z|ede fdB|dBA FAB|ABd efg|fed e2f|
gfe fed|edB d2B|AFA dAF|EFE E2:|

It’s an amazingly tasty version, which I couldn’t stop playing this afternoon. I don’t know how about on other instruments, but it’s great fun to play on flute and whistle.

I’m not 100% sure of my transcription, but I believe it’s almost correct. Listen to his playing of the tune by yourself though this page: http://www.claddaghrecords.com/www/product.asp?pID=79&cID=15

Harry Bradley’s version

He rang me about 3 years ago at around 7 pm to chat (3 am his time I think) because he had some kind of temporary amazing phone deal. He talked a bit about this tune and said he had just found a version he really liked in the Roche Collection that was different from the common one. I’m assuming that’s the setting he then recorded.

Yeah, he wrote his version is based on the one found in Roche Collection. I don’t have any tune collection, but does the collection include somewhat unusual versions of the tunes? I’m just curious.

Variation

I like to play the last phrase of each part as:

EDD D3

And I tend to hold those high d notes at the beginning of the second part:

d2d ecA

I think this is pretty much how it’s played on the album The Session by Na Connerys.

K: Dmix
dcA AGE | GED D2E | GEE cEE | GAB cde |
dcA AGE | GED D2E | GEE cEE | EDD D3:|
d2d ecA | d2d ecA | GEE c2c | GAB cde |
[1d2d ecA | d2d ecA | GEE cEE |EDD D3:|
[2dcA AGE | GED D2E | GEE cEE |EDD D3||

Transcribed from Elizabeth Crotty’s EXCELLENT album. I love it to death. I’m going on a “I like older albums like woah” kick for a bit and oh man… I just need more. I love it. LOVE IT!!!!

Cheers,
Armand

On “The Lonesome Touch,” Martin Hayes calls this the Garden of Butterflies. I have no idea if that’s an accurate title.

Posted .

Duplicated

No, the correct title is “The Walls of Liscarroll”: https://thesession.org/tunes/232 It’s normally played in Edor. Clare musicians sometimes play in a weird key though.

I know this one from the sessions at the Victory Cafe in Toronto, and it’s in O’Neill’s in the wrong key (too many sharps), as The Walls of Liscarroll. I like it with c#s between the d’s in the B part.

i play it in e mixolydian, a version from the armagh piper’s club, tin whistle book 2:

K: Edor
e|edB BAF|AFE E2F|AFF dFF|ABc def|
edB BAF|AFE E2F|AFF DFF|FED E2:|
e|eBe fdB|eBe fdB|AFF dFF|ABc def|
[1 gfe fed|edB d2B|AFA dAF|EFE E2:|
[2 edB BaF|AFE E2F|AFF DFF|FED E2||

Posted by .

Double-stopping in the B part

I tend to hold the first high D in the b part , and double-stop with the D string. Sounds quite exciting

Slightly Different

X: 1
T: Walls Of Liscarrol, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmix
|:d|dcA AGE | GEE D2E | GEE cEE | GAB cde |
dcA AGE | GEE D2E | GEE cEE | d3 D2:||
|:dB/c/d ecA | dB/c/d ecA | GEE cEE | GAB cde |
dB/c/d ecA | dB/c/d ecA | GEE cEE |D3 D3 |
|:dB/c/d ecA | dB/c/d ecA | GEE cEE | GAB cde
dcA AGE | GEE D2E | GEE cEE |D3 D3 |

Posted by .

This is really a beautiful tune. Mrs. Crotty blows my mind.

Dmix or, preferably, Ddor ?

Am I confusing as I am no accompanist at all, but I think that it can’t be Dmix just because the tune ends (the resolution tending) on a D and is written with one sharp (key of G). Why one sharp as there is, in the herein transcriptions, no F sharp at all ? (try to introduce a variation with an F sharp and an F natural : which sounds better ?) These could as well have been written with no sharp, thus in the key of C. And D being the second degree of the C scale and the resolution note, you might logically expect that it is a D dorian, not D mixolydian, 5th degree in a G scale . And that is exactly what happens with the other transcriptions in Edor resolving on E, 2nd degree in the scale of D (2 sharps).
No matter what the tune ends with, when it’s dorian, it’s dorian !
I join my setting in Ador that can be played on a D flute as the other 2. So you can play a nice set beginning in Edor, continuing in Ddor and ending in Ador, or whatever combination of the 3 !-)

Re: The Walls Of Liscarrol

I am just learning this lovely jig on the flute and i wonder which of this settings are the most common way to play it on the flute and whistle in sessions?

Re: The Walls Of Liscarrol

The first setting is close enough to how I’ve played in in sessions. There’s a number of ways to play the beginning of the B part:
~d3 ecA|~d3 ecA
d3 ecA|d3 ecA
d2d ecA|d2d ecA
dcd ecA|dcd ecA
dcd ecA|d=fd ecA
…and so on.

Re: The Walls Of Liscarrol

https://youtu.be/RGfoVtB6pBY Nice version on a german tradtional instrument the waldzither . Ususally tuned in open C , C G C E G . Fun to play , I bought one for 40 Euros in a secondhand store in North Germany last month

Re: The Walls Of Liscarrol

This is the version that members of Danu play. It appears on their album Up in the Air.

The Little Black Pig

Here’s my recording of Micho Russell’s version of this tune. Micho actually calls it “The Little Black Pig” and it can be found on the album “Rarities & Old Favorites 1949–1993”, a compilation of tunes from Micho.

https://youtu.be/HNXaYbC1lG8


X:1
T:Little Black Pig (The)
M:6/8
R:Jig
K:Dmix
|:ABA DFA|ded dcA|GEE cEE|GEG c2c|
A2A DFA|ded dcA|GEE cEE|DED D2G:||
|:d2d ecA|dcd dcA|GEE cEE|GEG c2c|
dcd ecA|d2d dcA|GEE cEE|DED D2G:||