The High Road To Glin reel

By Martin Mulvihill

Also known as The High Road To Glinn.

There are 11 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The High Road To Glin has been added to 7 tune sets.

The High Road To Glin has been added to 78 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Two settings

1
X: 1
T: The High Road To Glin
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
D2E|:F2AF DFAF|{G}F{E}F AF EA,CE|D F{G}F{E}F DEFA|
{d}B{A}B AF EFDE|F2AF DFAF|{G}F{E}F AF EA,CE|
D F{G}F{E}F DEFA|1 B/c/d AFD3 E:|2 B/c/d AF D2 de||
|:{a}f{e}f df efdf|{b}afef d B{d}B{A}B|f{a}f{e}f a b f{a}f{e}f|
bfaf efde|fbaf egfe|dfed BcdB|
A F{G}F{E}F DEFA|1 B/c/d AF D2 de:|2 B/c/d AF D4||
2
X: 2
T: The High Road To Glin
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
DE|:F2AF F2AF|F2AF EA,~A,2|DFF2 DEFA|B2AF EFDE|
F2AF F2AF|F2AF EA,~A,2|DFF2 DEFA|1 BdAF D3 E:|2 BdAF D2 de||
|:f2df efdf|afef dBB2|f2fa baa2|bfaf efde|
fbaf egfe|dfed BcdB|AFF2 DEFA|1 BdAF D2 de:|2 BdAF D4||

Eleven comments

By Martin Mulvihill

This is one of a pair of mighty reels written by NYC teaching legend Martin Mulvihill, father of Brendan. I didn’t see them listed on the website, so here’s the first, I’ll post the second (the Low Road to Glin) tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Lovely reel!

I have the Martin Mulvihill album and also a recording of Sean McGuire playing this tune on radio in 1984-it sounds a bit like the mountain road or am I mistaken?

Posted by .

Mountain Road? No… it sounds more like Out on the Ocean. (just kidding)

I’ve heard it referred to as Martin’s take on the Mountain Road.

That is one mean tune, O Guru. Nice transcription, too. It would’ve lost some of its edge without those grace notes.

I’m not quite so keen. The grace notes seem to represent rolls, and I think they’d have been better transcribed as such.

album notes from the Steeplechase by Brendan Mulvihil and Donna reads "These two reels, the first of which is a variation of ‘The Mountain Road,’ were composed by Martin Mulvihill in the 1970s.

Posted by .

Too many beats

Am I the only one who’s noticed that some of these measures have five beats? Some have five and a half.

You’re not seeing the barring. Some things that look like two crotchets/quarter-notes are actually two quavers/eigth-notes barred across, but on the line of the staff so not showing. For example the second bar ~

~ |{G}F{E}F AF EA,CE | ~ = ~ | {G}F{E}FAF EA,CE | ~ remove the grace notes ~ | FFAF EA,CE | ~

So it all adds up to 4 beats to the bar, but the ABCs are a bit messy… Another example, bar 3 ~

~ |D F{G}F{E}F DEFA | ~ would have been better this way ~
~ | DF{G}F{E}F DEFA | ~ = ~ | DFFF DEFA | ~

Not too many beats

Oh! Now I see it, my apologies!

A slightly different setting

X:1
T: High Road To Glin, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K:Dmaj
DE |: F2AF F2AF |F2AF EA,~A,2 |DFF2 DEFA |B2AF EFDE |
F2AF F2AF | F2AF EA,~A,2|DFF2 DEFA | [1 BdAF D3 E :| [2 BdAF D2 de ||
|:f2df efdf | afef dBB2 | f2fa baa2 |bfaf efde |
fbaf egfe | dfed BcdB |AFF2 DEFA | [1 BdAF D2 de :| [2 BdAF D4 |]