Richard Brennan’s jig

This is the jig that James Morrison usually played after “Morrison’s Jig” the really popular Emin one ~E3 ~B3 | EBE AFD etc. (James Morrison called it “Maurice Carmondy’s Fav” & most others called it “The Stick Across the Hob”) Don’t know why the first one became so popular while this tune is so rare, but anyway they make a nice pair. If I remember right Dick Brennan was one of the fiddlers who lived in Sligo (he never made it out to America) he had an influence on all the famous Sligo fiddlers who emmigrated.

A friend of mine plays this, based I think on how she learned it from Cait Reed, which probably came to Cait through the playing of Martin Rochford, though that’s just an educated guess. Goes as follies:

K: D
|: ~F3 FED | FAF FEF | DFA dAF | A,2 A, ~A,3 |
| F2 F FED | FAF FEF | DFA dAF |1 A,CE D2 E :|2 A,CE D2 g||
|: fed edc | dcd AFA | fed edc | dfb a2 g |
| fed edc | ~d3 AFE | DFA dAF |1 A,CE D2 g :|2 A,CE D2 E ||

A well worn variation for the 4th bar of the A part is |A,CE A,CE|
I like all the low growly stuff on the A,

This is a nice tune on the flute or pipes with all the bass string stuff thrown out, rather like the Rose in the Heather, which has a Sligo fiddle setting and a piper’s setting. I’ve never heard a piper play it though, on record or tape at least. You can play a nice long slur on the first bar F#, or bark the high F and E’s, etc.
Michael Coleman recorded this a couple times too.

“Paddy O‘Caroll’s” (see O’Neill’s) is a piper’s setting of this tune. The “Richard Brennan’s” title was applied by Michael Coleman, who played this setting of the tune after “Tell Her I Am,” a combination still popular today.

I’m guessing that Blarneystar is Don Meade. If so thanks for putting on all those great shows. I’ve got those Coleman disks pretty much memorized & if I recall he plays the Trip to Sligo before Tell Her I Am & that’s it. Was this a set that he did that never made it onto a 78? Or am I missing some recordings

Hi Baloney. And who are you when you’re at home? Coleman recorded it twice. The second time was on a Decca 78 that was later included on a Decca LP available in the 1960s. That recording paired “Brennan’s” with “Tell Her I Am.” The two are still played together frequently by NY players influenced by Andy McGann, Paddy Reynolds, etc.

My real name is Brad Maloney, no one really good or famous or anything. I used to go to alot of shows at the Blarney Star (& all over NYC) when I used to live there. It can fairly be said that I’m one of those guys who is/was influenced alot by Paddy, Andy & all the others in NYC.

Key signature: E Dorian
Submitted on May 25th 2001 by Jeremy.
https://thesession.org/tunes/71

I think that it’s possible that Brad got this version from the LP ‘Strings Attached’ by Mick Moloney. It’s a wonderful tune, which I first learned as an untitled jig from Jennifer Wrigley. Mick Moloney goes in to
“The Bush on the Hill” https://thesession.org/tunes/1305

Arranged for whistle/flute.

Around once more-

| e || ~f3 fed | faf fed | dfa afa | ~e3 ede |
~f2 f fed | faf fed | dfa faf | efe d2 |
| e | ~f2 f fed | faf fed | dfa faf | ~e2 e ede |
~f3 fed | faf fed | dfa afa | efe d2 ||
| G || FEF EDE | ~D3 DFD | FEF EDE | DFB A2 G |
FEF EDE | DED DFD | DFA AFA | EFE D2 |
| G || FEF EDE | ~D2 D DFD | FEF EDE | DFB A2 G |
FEF EDE | DED DFD | DFA AFD | EFE D2 |

And for the final ending- | DFA FAF | EFE D2 ||

I was listening to James playing this after Morrisons and from what I can hear on the grainy slowed down version I think subject to correction that he plays the following; He starts with Low B A FED . He starts the 2nd line F FFED. He palys the 2nd part -first 2 bars of 1st and 2nd line - g fdf edC dCB AFD . He ends with
D low C# ED

Great rendition - 1.38
https://youtu.be/vODEwyOKKtw

play video

My take

This is the way we play it at our sessions and also same as in Nigel Gatherers collection