For The Sake Of Old Decency reel

I learned this from Micheal Tubridy’s excellent recording, The Eagle’s Whistle, which I was going to post but someone else beat me to it. The tune is first in a set: For the Sake of Old Decency/Peata Beag Mo Mhathar/Gone for his Tea/It Goes as Follies.

I will post the rest of the set as soon as possible, they go really nice together.

BTW, those bottom D’s in the second part are not notation mistakes. Michael actually plays it like that;after a little practice on the flute they flow naturally. I don’t how hard it is to play on other instruments like the fiddle or accordion. You could probably transpose them up an octave.

Submitted on July 9th 2006 by tmcelrea.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5947

K: G Major
d2 BG AE ~E2 | AcBG A2 GB | d2 BG AE ~E2 |1 DGB,D EGGB :|
2 DGB,D EG G2 ||
G2 GB d2 Bd | ea ~a2 ea a2 | G2 GB d2 Bd | ea ~a2 bgag |
G2 GB d2 Bd | ea ~a2 eaag | bage g2 ed | egag bgag ||

This is the second reel from the first track of ‘Briging the Gap’ by Kevin and Sean Moloney. On the ablum it is listed simply as ‘Gan Ainm.’ According to the liner notes, the tune was played by Eddie Moloney (Sean’s father) and Tommy Coen, both of East Galway.

Although I think that this is a reasonable approximation of the album, any corrections would be appreciated.

# Posted on July 9th 2006 by tmcelrea

Goes well after Fr. O’Grady’s Trip to Boca.

Watch and listen to Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh and Danny O’Mahoney play this together: http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_227_4_micheal_o_raghallaigh_and_danny_omahoney

It seems the Tulla Ceili Band recorded and popularised the set of the D major version of this tune and the E dorian version of the Steampacket: https://thesession.org/tunes/7862

Here’s the way Jimmy Noonan plays it on the Maple Leaf.

X: 1
T: For The Sake Of Old Decency
Z: Jack Gilder
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
d2BG AGEG|DGBG A2Bc|d2BG AGEG|dBAG EG~G2:||
~G3B d2Bd|eaag egg2|1~G3B d2ge|dega bgg2:|2 bgag egdB|~d2bg ageg||

PB, I have a very nice Plough session recording of you and Marla playing this in D, very similar to the version in the Comhaltas link above. Is that the key you usually play this in, or is G more common around these parts?

this tune is linked to the P. Joes on ‘welcome here again’ by martin hayes… i think that its quite a bit different, does anyone know the hayes version of it? thanks,

The Martin Hayes version is just transposed down a fifth, so it starts on G in the key of C - if you play the fiddle, the C major version has exactly the same fingerings as the G major one, it’s just played one string down. One or two measures are played and ornamented a little differently, though.

Here’s a transcription from the CCE video clip cited above:

X: 1
T: For the Sake of Old Decency
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
S: CCE video, Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh (concertina) and Danny O’Mahoney (button accordion)
K: D
dB|A2 FD EFDF|(3ABA FD EDB,B|A2 FD EFDF|AFED B,DDB|
A2 FD EFDF|(3ABA FD EDB,B|A2 FD EFDF|AFED B,DDC||
D3F (3ABA FA|deed Bdd2|D3F ADFA|BdAF FEEF|
D/D/D DF A2 FA|deed Bdd2|D3F ADFA|ABde fedB||

They call it P. Joe’s Reel.

In Dmajor


X: 1
T: P. Joe’s Reel
T: For the Sake of Old Decency
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
D: The Shores of Lough Graney, P. Joe and Martin Hayes
K: D
B|A2 FD EFDF|A2 FD EDB,B|A2 FD EFDF|AFED B,DDB|
A2 FD EFDF|A2 FD EDB,B|A2 FD EFDF|AFED B,DD2||
D3A A2 FA|dBed Bdd2|D3A A2 FA|BdAF FEEF|
D3A A2 FA|dBed Bcd2|D3A A2 FA|ABde fedB||

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGBSC7vQ2Wg

play video

The B part reminds me of the A part of London Lasses https://thesession.org/tunes/2273

… at least this particular setting https://thesession.org/tunes/2273#setting15641

Heard this version (with the high B in the 2nd part) played by a button accordion player at the Cobblestone in Dublin, a couple weeks ago.

1st tune in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BegqS3dwxqY

play video

@kenny : the setting no 7 (mine !) was originally published as a "Gan Ainm" tune. Before doing that, and you can do the test, I submitted to my dear friend "Tunepal.org" the result of what I transcribed while listening to the video of Brid O’Gorman, Joan Hanrahan, and Eoin O’Neill. None of the results that were given to me by Tunepal corresponded to "For the Sake…", though I found that the second part of what I was looking for was a close relative of "For the Sake…" but not in the key (G) I am accustumed to play that last one. And I don’t find that the 1st part of my newly submitted "GAn Ainm" tune is close to what I knew (and learnt from the playing of M. Tubridy) even when transposed.
Having not checked all the settings, and ignoring the D settings posted here by the gan ainm poster (Will ?!), my conclusion was that my gan ainm tune was a distinct tune from "For the Sake…" But apparently, I was wrong…

No, I don’t think you were wrong, didier - and I do apologise if any of my remarks caused any annoyance or offence. When I first listened to the "Youtube" clip you listed as your source, I immediately thought of Martin Hayes playing this tune, and not Michael Tubridy. The "G" version has been around for many years, Michael Tubridy used to play it as part of his flute solo with the "Chieftains" in live performances, and it was traditional even then. As far as I know, the "D" version is much more recent. I don’t think I’d heard it in "D" before Martin Hayes recorded it, and it is interesting that he does not name it as "For The Sakes of Old Decency" on "Welcome Here Again".
You were quite right to post it as a "Gan Ainm" - I just wanted to point out that the tune was here already.
No disrespect to its’ creator, but "Tunepal" has its’ limitations.
All the best, Kenny

A setting from the Tulla Ceili Band 50 years celebration CD

Does anyone know if Hayes plays this in C or does he play it in D tuned down a tone? It sounds to me like the latter; the "g" sounds open, and the ornamentation sounds more likely…

Thanks!

Second reel (at 1:02) in this recently uploaded Willie Fogarty comhaltas video of John Harnett, the notes say it’s called “Caherlestrane reel” (anyone else ever heard it called that?): "At the Pat Swan Celebratory Weekend in Brú Ború in Cashel, Co. Tipperary, Flute player John Harnett plays a selection of Reels - “Lady on the island” and “Caherlestrane reel”.
https://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_553_9john_harnett/

This is transcribed from Eddie Moloney and Tommy Coen playing it on Eddie Moloney Master Musician disc 2 track 18. They have some nice touches - the ending of the A part, the B is played down the octave on the fiddle, but up the octave on the flute, and since I was mostly transcribing Eddie’s playing, I wrote that.

My take