The Ships In Full Sail jig

This is a fairly dumbed down setting of what I play. The third part isn’t always played & sometimes is played differently.

Played in A by Brian Conway on his album ‘First through the Gate’, but he calls it ‘Kitty’s Wedding’.

Here’s another setting, with a more rolling approach to the melody line that works well on flute or fiddle.

X: 1
T: Ship in Full Sail
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: G
|: DEG BAG | dBG Bcd | ege dBG | AGA BGE |
| DEG BAG | dBG Bcd | ef/g/e dBG |1 AGF G2 E :|2 AGF GBc ||
|: dgg bgg | aga bge | dgg bgg | aba age |
| dgg bgg | aga bgd | ege dBG | AGF GBc :||
|: ~d3 dB/c/d | ede efg | ~d3 dBG | AGA ABc |
| ded dB/c/d | ede efg | dBG AGA |1 BGF GBc :|2 BGF G2 E ||

Mary MacNamara recorded a slightly unusual but very lovely version of this tune, which originally comes from another Clare concertina player, John Naughton. Here is my interpretation of her version.

K: G
E|DGG BGG|dBG GBd|ege dBG|AGA BGE|
DGG BGG|dBG GBd|ege dBG|AGF G2:|
A|Bdd dBd|egg g2d|edB dBG|AGA BGE|
DGG BGG|dBG GBd|ege dBG|AGF G2:|

For those who listen to Black 47, this is the jig that’s played all the way through their song Funky Ceili.

The unusual version that slainte posted was also recorded by Martin Hayes on his “Live on Seattle” CD though may differ slightly. Also, on Lucy Farr’s Heart and Home CD, she plays that unusual version, ableit adapted slightly differently but still echoing many phrases. She calls it John Naughton’s. I wonder was there a source of this version before John Naughton.

My transcription above is merely my interpretation of the East Clare version and not exactly the same as the one recorded by M MacNamara and M Hayes.

Yes, I wouldn’t expect it to be bang on note for note as the tune changes as soon as it goes into a new ear and out of their instrument. But I can still identify the version.

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on June 5th 2002 by Jon Kiparsky.
https://thesession.org/tunes/735

I think “Dublin Jig” - recorded by Jimmy Shand in 1935 - is a version of “Ships in Full Sail”:

X:204
T:Dublin Jig
D:Jimmy Shand 78: Beltona M465
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:A
c | EAA cAA | eAA cAA | fga ecA | BcB BAF |
EAA cAA |eAA cAA | fga ecA | BcB A2 :|
e | eaa c‘aa | baa c’aa | eaa c‘aa | bc’b baf |
eaa c‘aa | bab c’af |efe ded | cAA A2 :|]

I just found out about some lyrics for this tune. I’m in the process of trying them out.. stay tuned.


The bright sun is shining
The blue skies are pining
For want of some clouds or some ornamentation
The heather’s a-blazing
The cows are a-grazing
Sitting in the hills over Loughlintown Bay.

They’re out on the ocean
The ships are in motion
From Killybegs harbour right down to Kinsale.
Down in the harbour
The crowds they have gathered
To watch the wind blowing the ships in full sail.

Anybody know much the 3rd part? I’ve noticed not everybody plays it.

Here’s the third part as we have it in our session, from Sean McComiskey (although I don’t know if this is original with him or not):

|:d3 dBG | e3 efg | d3 dBG | A3 ABc |
| d3 dBG | e3 efg | dBG {B}AGA | BGG G3 :|

I was surprised not to find this entered already. A jig in Amaj. This should be the same as the version in Allan’s Irish Fiddler.

I could be mistaken, but isn’t this the first two parts (or something very similar) in A instead of G of Ship in Full Sail?

https://thesession.org/tunes/261

Actually, I think I just answered my own question. I see that Paddy the Dandy is already listed as an alternative name for Ship in Full Sail.

First tune

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTGTZ-6D10I

play video

First heard Brian play this lovely tune in concert (he used it to follow Cherish the Ladies in a set).

This tune is identified under “Arigna’s green vale” name. John McKenna plays only the first to parts

See setting #8
’Hope you’ll have fun !

the 3 part Amaj version posted by Ellen V was recorded way back by De Dannan under the title‘ Kittys Weddding’ - they must have cranked up the recording speed cos it came out in Bb. Can’t remember which album, might have been ‘Mist Covered Mountain’

Brian Conway’s version almost certainly traces back to James Morrison’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdIzkjnI9EI

play video

(Morrison’s set here also recorded by De Dannan, Andy McGann, and Peter Horan/Gerry Harrington.)

This setting from a recording of a concert that Jackie Daly and James Kelly did in 1983. The tune’s first part resembles both the Ships in Full Sail and Going to Donnybrook ( https://thesession.org/tunes/735 ), but the second part is distinct from either. Another set from the recording has been posted here: https://soundcloud.com/1scartaglin/jackie-daly-james-kelly-john

Hi All --

I have a question about the third section. I learned the tune from Kevin Crawford, and he only taught the first two sections, so I’ve never played the third section. I’ve never even heard it, though I knew it existed. I was at a session Sunday night, and we got tripped up because I was leading the piece, and another melody instrument went into the third section when I went back to the first. This was my first time at this session, and we didn’t talk about the third section before launching the tune (they pass tune choice around the circle and kindly included me although I was new). So, I’m now curious what the etiquette is in such a situation. If you know a tune has a third section that some people play but you don’t, should you say so before you launch the tune? I’ve never been in that situation before; I guess I’ve just always played Ships in Full Sail with people who only do the first two sections. Thanks for any insight.

Version 7 is strange, the 2nd part resolving to the note C. What is the source of this version?

I learned this tune in the 1970s as a two-part tune in a Pentatonic G mode

G A B D E

No C or F, no 4th or 7th degree, a common Pentatonic mode that for example Amazing Grace is in.

I then heard Ship In Full Sail played with a third part that was in a full G Major scale. The third part seemed to be borrowed from another tune, being in a different scale. But here I see loads of versions where the first two parts are in an ordinary G Major scale, which makes me wonder where that Pentatonic version came from, and which is older, the Pentatonic or the Major.

Another thing is that I’ve heard Ship In Full Sail played in D, though I don’t see any D versions here.

This is one of my favorite jigs. On the 1974 album “Lark in the Clear Air”, it is known as “The Prize Jig” for some reason.

This is the tune as played by Willie Kennedy on his album Cape Breton Violin.

An East Galway version taught to me by David Munnelly.

I added “chord” symbols, to the David Munnelly setting, but they represent single bass notes played
on the left side of the C#/D box (where there is no symbol, leave space).
But they might give other backup instruments a clue.
(But the F# isn’t and F# chord, it’s probably the bass of an inversion of either D or Bm.)

my transcription of De Danann’s version - they called it Kitty’s Wedding

https://youtu.be/QJiq4SGRcjM

play video

Regarding De Danann’s recording,Frankie Gavin would be fingering in A but usually tunes his fiddle a half tone higher than standard so that’s why the recording is in Bb.