The Spindle Shank reel

The Spindle Shank can be heard as the third in the set of four reels on track 3 of Cotton-eyed Joe (The Chieftains 10).

Belfast flute player Michael Clarkson recorded this tune as The Small Hills of Offaly. There is another tune posted here by this name:

https://thesession.org/tunes/2101

There is also a better known tune by the name of Spindle Shanks (also known as Mulqueen’s):

https://thesession.org/tunes/66

I know this as McGettrick’s. I picked it up from our session & it’s a great tune. Are there any other albums apart from Chieftains 10 where this tune is entitled Spindle Shank?

I think Charlie Lennon has also recorded this tune as “Spindleshanks” on “Lucky in Love” (?). Been a while since I heard that recording. Nearly sure that the tune has been recorded as “McGettrick’s” by Paddy O’Brien and James Kelly.

I’ve just posted “Lucky In Love” in the recording section. This reel is indeed on that record as “Spindleshanks”, and interestingly, [ for “Dow” ] , the sleeve notes say: “Got from Jimmy McGettrick, a flute player from Lissinanny near Ballymote in Co. Sligo”. That would explain how it came to be known as McGettrick’s".

The sleeve notes from “The Chieftains 10” for this tune are very similar to those from “Lucky in Love”: “The Spindle Shank Reel, a reel Matt Molloy learned from Jimmy McGettrick, a tin-whistle and flute player from Lissinany County Sligo.”

From the playing of Fiona Doherty on fiddle and FInbar McGreevy on flute.

X: 1
T: Jimmy McGettrick’s
S: Fiona Doherty, Finbar McGreevy, Comholtas video: http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_271_1_finbar_mcgreevy_and_fiona_doherty/
M: 4/4
L: 1/9
K: G
d2 eB dBAG|F/E/D AD BDAF|G2 FE D~G3|FGAc BGGB|
dgeB dBAG|F/E/D AD BDAF|G2 FE D~G3|FGAc BGBd||
gedB cBAg|fdad bdaf|gedB cBAB|dega bggf|
gedB cBAg|fdad bdaf|gedB cBAB|dega b~g3||

L: 1/9 ?

What the hell ?

such is my nature, that I shoved Will’s abc through tune-o-tron with the L:1/9
All was well - it interpreted it as the usual L:1/8
In fact L:1/5 through to L:1/15 did the same

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpmXAFkRI0Y

play video

X: 1
T: McGettrick’s
S: Paddy O’Brien
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
d2 ge dBAG|F/E/D Ac BGAF|GAGE DEGE|1FAdc BGGe:|2FAdc BGGf||
gedB cAAg|f/e/d ad bdaf|gedB cAA^c|1dega bggf:|2dega bgge||

@1.23

http://youtu.be/uC5zupjAoXM

play video

This is the track referred to by “turophile” above.

A setting in Ryan’s MC (#305) as Little Duke’s.

Spindleshanks: a person having long slender legs.