Naughton’s reel

The first reel on Mary Bergin’s masterpiece 1st CD. After all these year’s to my knowledge, still no-one has come up with an original name for the reel, and when it’s been recorded, she has usually been credited as the source, so I think she deserves it.

Hi Kenny, this tune is the same or very similar to a tune I got from a St. Roch ceilidh band cd and one of its fiddle players Johnny Canning. I submitted it as what it was called on the CD (Friel’s). I have no idea where the name came from, but someone pointed out the tune came from Mary Bergin’s Album.

https://thesession.org/tunes/2464

The transcription I submitted is as I had it from hearing it played on the banjo and while it looks a bit of a monstrosity on paper, is pretty tricky on the fiddle. This looks much more approachable!

would go especially well with ‘the congress’

Concertina player Mary McNamara has recorded this as "Naughton’s" after an influential east Clare musician. The turn is the same as "Molly Ban" (or "Molly Bawn," "Fairhaired Molly").

T:John Naughton’s
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Mary McNamara
R:reel
Z:gmp
K:Gmaj
G|:EA (3AAA Bded|BG (3GGG BGAG|EA (3AAA Bdef|gedB BAAG|
EA (3AAA Bded|BG (3GGG BGAG|EA (3AAA Bdef|gedB BAAG:|
|:a3 a aged|Bdef g2 eg|a3 a agef|gedB BA A2|
a3 a aged|Bdef g3 a|ba (3aaa agef|gedB BA A2:|

T:Gan Ainm
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Mary Bergin . Feadoga Stain
R:reel
Z:gm
K:Amix
A2 EA c/d/e ed | BG~G2 eGdG | EA c/d/e a2 ed | c/d/e dB BAAG |
~A2 eA c/d/e ed | BG~G2 eGdG | EA c/d/e a2 ed | c/d/e dB BA A2 ||
a2 ea~a2 ba | g2ef ~g3b | a2 ea ~a2 ba | gedB EA~A2 |
a2 ea~a2 ba | g2ef ~g3a | ~b3a gbag | gedB eBdB |

Kenny, I think this is a version of Fair-haired Mary. I have a feeling I came across similar versions somewhere in weird keys, maybe in O’Neill’s.

Also related to Eel in the Sink: https://thesession.org/tunes/1446

Key signature: A Mixolydian
Submitted on January 23rd 2008 by Phantom Button.
~ /tunes/8174

X: 4
T: John Naughton’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amix
A2 EA c/d/eed | BG ~G2 eGdG | EA c/d/e .a2 ed |1 c/d/e dB BAAG :|2 c/d/e dB BA A2 ||
a2 ea ~a2 ba | g2 ef ~g3 b | a2 ea ~a2 ba | gedB EA ~A2 |
a2 ea ~a2 ba | g2 ef ~g3 a | ~b3 a gbag | gedB eBdB |]

This is the first tune off the first recording of Mary Bergin’s classic masterpiece, Feadoga Stain.

# Posted on January 23rd 2008 by Phantom Button

Thanks ceol, but it seems even my version is identical to what gian marco posted here in the comments. It was the fact that it wasn’t originally posted as "Gan Ainm" that prevented me from finding it in the first place.

Hey, even the little differences and twiddles are valued, by me anyway… 😉

I’ve been listening to this setting, which is like a cross between Mary Bergin’s and The Eel In The Sink, as a single reel.

X: 1
T: John Naughton’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
D: Charlie Piggott, Miriam Collins & Joe Corcoran - The Lonely Stranded Band
K: Amix
EA~A2 (3Bcd ed|BG~G2 dGBG|EA~A2 cdef|gedB BAAG|
EA~A2 cded|BG~G2 dGBG|EAce a3B|cedB eAA2||
a2ea aged|cdef g2 (3efg|a2ea agab|gedg eAA2|
a2ea aged|cdef g3a|ba~a2 geef|gedg eAAG||

Go here gor another submission of Mary McNamara’s dorian version https://thesession.org/tunes/2212

I’ve been listening to a dorian version of this on Chulrua’s "Down The Back Lane". They call it Micho Russell’s.

X: 1
T: Micho Russell’s
T: John Naughton’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
D: Chulrua
K: Ador
EGAB c2dc|BG~G2 BGAG|EGAB c2eg|1 gedg eAAG:|2 gedg eAA2||
a2ea aged|(3B^cd ef g2ag|eaab agef|gedg eAA2|
~a3b aged|^cdef g2ag|eaag egde|gedg BAAG||

That last oversion is a West Clare version, Junior Crehan’s version in CRE is called the Old Grey Gander and is also sometimes found as The Hunours of Quilty. PJ Crotty et al recordd it under that name. With all Cs sharp, unlike other version. Liam O FLynn recorded it as ‘Willie Clancy’s’, his version was published in Ceol. Naughton’s, Eel in the Sink and that last one are essentially the same tune approached differently.

Here’s Joannie Madden playing it… the second tune in the set…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H9aIrs3ZsI

play video

The first tune is the Old High Reel/Beehive
https://thesession.org/tunes/1584
And the last tune is her own, Shoot when the Ducks are Flying
https://thesession.org/tunes/9221

Third tune played here by Matt Malloy and Dervish…at about 1.55
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx0Q7-4F82Q&feature=related

play video

X: 1
T:Mary Bergin´s
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:John McSherry "Soma"
R:reel
Z:M.Novo
K:Amix
|:A2 eA (3Bcd ed | BG~G2 dGBG | EA ce a2 ed |1 c/d/e dB BAAG :|2 c/d/e dB BAce ||
a2 ea~a2 ba|g~e3 ~g3b|a~e3 aged|(3Bcd GA B~A3|
a~e3 agef|g~B3 ~g3a|~b3 a~g3f (3gfe| dged BGA2||

2nd part = 2nd part of Fair-Haired Mary (albeit in a different key)
https://thesession.org/tunes/1637

Eel in the sink mentioned above has Cnatural, you can also play naturals here, or ‘blue’ C’s.

Eel in the sink can have C#s, as it appears on Terry Bingham’s album.

See Alan Ng’s entry at https://www.irishtune.info/tune/3288/ for more information about this tune.

https://youtu.be/hcie2QHPX4c

play video

OK, so I see someone else noticed the connection to Molly Ban/Bawn above. https://thesession.org/tunes/1637

Is Molly Bawn the same tune played a step down? Sure sounds that way to me.

erp. Not a step down, rather a 4th down, mildly simpler 1st part on the other tune.

√, got it. Nothing to see here.

Several people have mentioned the similarity to Molly Bawn over the years. Paddy Canny recorded it as Molly Bawn (first part in GMix, second part in GMaj). Aidan Connolly recorded it under the same title on Be Off and says he learned it from Paddy Canny’s recording, but he plays both parts in GMix.