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The Fairy reel

Also known as An Buailteoir Aerach, The Jolly Banger.

There are 14 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The Fairy appears in 2 other tune collections.

The Fairy has been added to 13 tune sets.

The Fairy has been added to 158 tunebooks.

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Five settings

1
X: 1
T: The Fairy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
B2 BA GBdB | cBAG FGAc | BG G2 dcAg | fgaf gfed |
dBBA GBdB | cBAG FGAc | BG G2 cBAG |1 FGAF G3 A :|2 FGAF G2 Bc ||
|: d2 dg e2 ed | cA A2 d2 dc | BG G2 dcAg | fgaf gfed |
dBdg e2 ed | cA A2 d2 dc | BG G2 cBAG |1 FGAF G3 A :|2 FGAF G4 ||
# Added by Kenny .
2
X: 2
T: The Fairy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
B2 BA GBdB | cBAG FGAc | BG G2 dcAG | FGAF GFED |
dBBA GBdB | cBAG FGAc | BG G2 cBAG |1 FGAF G3 A :|2 FGAF G2 Bc ||
|: d2 dg e2 ed | cA A2 d2 dc | BG G2 dcAG | FGAF GFED |
dBdg e2 ed | cA A2 d2 dc | BG G2 cBAG |1 FGAF G3 A :|2 FGAF G4 ||
# Added by JACKB .
3
X: 3
T: The Fairy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:f2 fd f2 fd | f2 fd cd e2 | f2 fd gfed | cABc dcde |
(3fgf DA (3fgf DA | f2 fd cd e2 | f2 fd gfed | cABc defg ||
|:a3f b3a | g3e a3g | f2 fd gfed | cABc defg |
a3f b3a | g3e a3g | f2 fd gfed | cABc d3e ||
# Added by JACKB .
4
X: 4
T: The Fairy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
d2 B2 GBdB | cBAG FGAc | BG G2 cAA2 | fgaf gfef |
d2 B2 GBdB | cBAG FGAc | BG G2 cBAG |1 FDEF G3 A :|2 FDEF G2 Bc ||
|: d2 B2 efed | ^c2 A2 dedc | B2 G2 c2 A2 | fgaf gfed |
d2 B2 efed | ^c2 A2 dedc | B2 G2 cBAG |1 FDEF G3 A :|2 FDEF G4 ||
5
X: 5
T: The Fairy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
BcBA GBdB|cBAG FGAc|BG~G2 dcAg|fdaf ged^c|
dBBA GBdB|cBAG FGAc|BG~G2 cBAG|1 FGAF G3A:|2 FGAF G3B||
|:d2dg e2ed|^cA~A2 ded=c|BG~G2 dcAg|fdaf gfe^c|
dBdg e2ed|^cA~A2 d3=c|BGBd cBAG|1 FGAF G3B:|2 FGAF G2A2||

Fifteen comments

The Fairy Reel

From Kevin Burke & Jacky Daly’s "Eavesdropper" CD. An Irish version of Nathaniel Gow’s "Fairy Dance" , but played in G. Often preceded by "O’Connell’s Trip To Parliament", the pairing of reels coming from that CD, and notable for introducing Conal O’Grada to a lot of people.

Posted by .

The Fairy Reel

Mick O’Brien and Kevin O’Reilly recently recorded the original Scottish setting in D. It’s on one of the great whistle duet tracks of the album. According to Kevin’s notes, D major one is relatively popular among Irish pipers: he informs us even Willie Clancy was playing it. But this G major one also sounds very familiar to me. Isn’t it similar to one of Paddy Fahy tunes? https://thesession.org/tunes/2294

Don’t think so

No, slainte - as I said, this is a version of Gow’s "Fairy Dance" in G - nothing to do with Paddy Fahy, as far as I am aware.

Posted by .

The tune on the Glackin album is The Fairy Jig, not this reel.

This particular version of the reel is also on "The Best of Seamus Tansey."

Also on John McEvoy and John Wynne’s very recent duet album "The Pride of the West."

Willie’s version, The jolly Banger (An Buailteoir Aerach), is on one of the Seoda Cheoil lps.

Posted .

Mick O’Brien and Caoimhin O’Raghallaigh

Been listening to a version of this tune, the opening track from "Deadly Buzz/Aoibhinn Cronan", where instead of taking it up in the 4th measure of each part, they drop it down to | G | FGAF GFED | G |.

The Fairy, X:4

As played at sessions in Austin, TX

Re: The Fairy

As per m.r.kelahan above, I have been enjoying the set that starts with this tune from Mick O’Brien and Caoimhin O’Raghallaigh on Deadly Buzz. Lovely stuff on fiddle and Bb uillean pipes. They have this version for the B part:

Bc|:d2Bd eged|cABc dedc|BGG2 dcAG|FGAF GFED|d2Bd eged|cABc dedc|BGG2 cBAG|FGAF G2:|

The Fairy, X:5

A bit closer to the version of Kevin Burke, Jackie Daly and Conal Ó Grada in "Eavesdropper".

Re: The Fairy

It is a good tune indeed.

ceolachan : lovely penny whistler on the youtube that you posted.

Thinking of fairies, this makes me think of "The Fairy Fella’s Master Stroke" - but that is a strange painting by Richard Dadd, the mad Victorian artist. This tune is SANE.