Lanigan’s Ball jig

This version of the tune is identical to an old New England version that I have. It has a dorian feel and I believe it should notated in E dorian rather than E minor.
However, there is a slightly different version in O’Neill (as Lannigan’s Ball) which is in E minor. This version is:
K:Emin
EFE G2A|B2A B^cd|D2E F2G|ABA AFD|
EFE G2A|B2A B^c^d|e=dB =cBA|BGE E2:|
|:d|e2f gfg|eag fe^d|e2f gfg|fdB B3|
e2f gfg|eag fe^d|e=dB cBA|BGE E2:||

trevor

This has words - very good amusing words, about the dustman’s ball.

There is a festival coming up in October (see current discussions) honouring the late Eddie Duffy (flute) and the late Mick Hoy (fiddle) of Fermanagh. So here’s Eddie’s version of Lannigan’s Ball as learned from fluter Rev. Gary Hastings in the early 80s. With no musical training, I am a paughle when it comes to keys. modes etc, so corrections are appreciated.

X: 1
T: Eddie Duffy’s Lannigan’s Ball
L: 1/8
M: 6/8
K: Em
BAB GAB|dBG AGA|BAB GAB|AFD AFD|
BAB GAB|dBG ~A3|Bdd cAA|BGE E3:|
e2f gfe|f/g/a g fed|e2f gfe|fdB B^cd|
e2f gfe|a2g fed|edB B2A|BGE E3:|

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/irish-folk-music/005894.HTM, http://ingeb.org/songs/inthetof.html, http://www.christymoore.com/lyrics_tabs_detail.php?id=18,
and virtually everywhere on the web (even on wikipedia!)

Enter the Haggis does a nifty version of this tune that’s available off their website. It’s much more punk-influenced.
Any other good versions out there?

The Chieftains mix this one with Billy Nichols singing “Behind Blue Eyes” on their album An Irish Evening.

Does anything happen to have the abc’s for the Enter the Haggis version of this song? I’ve been hunting for them a while… With no luck. If someone does, if they could post it, that would be great!

Dropkick Murphys do a very heavily punk influenced version that they call Flannigan’s Ball. I saw them perform it on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson last St. Patrick’s Day. They rock!

From Roddy Campbell’s CD. It goes something like this:
eBe eBe|eBe f2e|1 dcd AAA|ABG FED:|2dcd ABG|FED E3||

this is a vague recollection but it ties in nicely whith the rest of wht he does.

Do the lyrics go like: I stepped out and she stepped in again I stepped out and she stepped in again I stepped out and she stepped in again learning to dance an Lannigan’s Ball?

The first part is comparable to Lanigan’s Ball’s 1st part https://thesession.org/tunes/893

Sorry, I meant: Hurry The Jug

http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/hasm_b2001/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6rbiFBt760

play video

A setting with the B Part dropped down an octave + some alternatives.

Variations from Ashley Ashworth’s album “Beyond the Green”.

Peakfiddler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJorMfp-jC0

play video

IMHO this tune bears a strong resemblance to “The Bride’s Jig”/ “Lord Dunsmore” which pipers play in B minor.

x:1 is awful, luckily x:2 better.

From the playing of Bobby MacLeod.

From the playing of Celtic Thunder.

The C Part is played leading into the A & B Parts of their third time through the tune.

From the playing of Nightwatch & Moondance.

They also modulate up to F#min after a few times through the time.

From the playing of Stephen Walker.

I would recommend x:11 for this tune. A great tune this, ….whistler got it best with X:11 I do think.

Cheers.

Verse 2:
Sure and it was me-self had free in-vi-ta-tions For all o’ the boys an’ the girls I might ask;
In less than five min-utes I’d ftiends and re-la-tions All sing-ing as mer-ry as flies’round a cask.
Now kit-ty O’ har-ra, a nate lit-tle mil-li-er, Tipt me the wink and then asked me to call,
And whin I ar-rived_ with Tim-o-thy Gal-li-gan,_ Just In_ time_ for Lan-i-gan’s Ball.
Chorus:
Whack! fal, lal, fal, lal, tal, lad-ed-dy. Whack! tal, lal, fal, lal, tal, lad-ed-dy.
Whack! fal, lal, fal, la, tal, lad-ed-dy. Whack! hur-roo!- _for Lan-i-gan’s Ball.
Verse 3:
The_ boys were all me-ry, the girls were fris-ky, All drink-ing to-geth-er in co-ples and groups,
whin an ac-ci-dent hap-pend to Paddy O’ Raf-fer-ty, He stuck his fot through Miss Flan-i-gan’s hoops.
The cray-thur she fain-ted and roared, “Mil-lia mur-ther!” Then called for her friends_ and gath-ered thin all.
Tim Der-mod-y swore that he’d go __ no fur-ther, But have sat-is-fac-tion at Lan-i-gan’s Ball.
Chorus
Verse 4:
Oh, __ ar - rath, boys, __ but thin was the ‘rup-tion; Me self got a wol-lop from Phek-im Mc-Coo.
Soon I re-plied to his nuts in-tro-duc-tion And we kicked up the div-il’s own phil-il-a-loo. __
Ca-sey, the pip-er he was near-ly stran-led; He squeezed up his bags, __ chan-ters and all.
The girls in their rib - bons all got en-tang-led And_ that put a stop_ in Lan-i-gan’s Ball.
Chorus
Verse 5:
In the midst of the row, __ Miss Ka-va-nagh faint-ed; Her face all the while was as red as the rose.
‘The lad-ies de-clared her cheeks they were pain-ted, But she’d tak-en a drop__ too much, I sup-pose, __
Pad-dy Mc-Car-ty, so heart-y and a-ble, When he saw his dear col-leen stretched out in the hall,
He pulled the best leg from out un-der the ta-ble And_ brokw all the chi-ney at Lan-i-gan’s Ball.
Chorus(x2)

Words and music from The Celtic Fake Book. Book published by Hall Leonard. Words by Tony Pastor and Music by Neil Bryant.

From the playing of Boldwood, on the album “Community Dances”.

From the playing of The Cheviot Ranters.

From Hidden Fermanagh Vol. 2, as played by Jim McGrath, Seamus Quinn and Gabriel McArdle. The first part is very different to the usual first part of Lannigan’s Ball.
Eddie Duffy had this tune from his mentor, William Carroll, which takes the tune back to the mid C19th at least.

Setting with chords.

Setting for mouth whistling.

This is my proposal to whistle it in the original session key. There is plenty of choice to do the changes of octave. This is therefore what I would do myself.

This is just to whistle along. I don’t think it would be good to do it as a solo being the main melodic instrument because in my opinion the change of octave at the end of the second part is a bit harsh.