Farewell To Ireland reel

Anyone who’s heard the Bothy Band’s version of this tune knows just how much this tune can "rock".

If you don’t have a bouzouki player handy to play a power chord over with the opening note then try a double stop with an E on the D string to go with that low A on the G string…if you play fiddle; if you play whistle then I’m afraid you’ll just have to hum along with the first part.

This tune isn’t as difficult as it might first appear. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th parts all have the same ending. I’ve shown it here with three variations. I find that C sharp often throws me. Try to find a way of playing it that you’re most comfortable with.

It appears that the version Kevin Burke performs is very different than the one that Micheal Coleman does. So much so, it seems like they may be different tunes. Also, check out the Boston College Irish Festival CD, "My Love Is In America". Brian Conway plays this tune very faithfully to what Micheal Coleman does. Did the Bothy Band take some liberties with the tune? Is the Sligo version simply a radically different interpretation?

I believe the first version of this that I ever came across was A dorian all the way through. That was about 1981. I had tried to learn it then but wasn

This is actually called "Farewell to Ireland". Farewell to Erin is a different tune completely (O’Neill’s 701). The Bothy Band confusingly called it Farewell to Erin. Whatever, it’s a great tune! Tommy Peoples does a great version of it on The High Part of The Road when he prefixes the reel with the first part played as an air. It gets everyone going in sessions especially when you go back to the low A for the start of the first part and give it a bit of stick!

Eileen Iver’s version of this is tune, done live, is the most dynamite performance, coupled with the Noisy Curlew. She carries the energy to a high that is unbelievable. Worht a listen.

I also know this tune as farewell to Ireland, which I heard Barney Mckenna of the Dubliners play. He plays it through solely in a minor and personally i think it sounds much better this way.
the dubliners have recorded this tune as a banjo solo piece, well worth a listen!

We play this tune every week at out session, with
PV O’Donnell, and occasionally Tommy Peoples, when he visits Connecticut, both PV and Tommy. It’s a wonderful tune and enjoy playing it

This is one of my favorites (hence the name haha)…I’ve a;ways started it double stopping the A on G and E on D…definitely a great high energy tune, everyone seems to like it that I play it for…

When I learned it (under the name Farewell to Erin, not Ireland, I have no clue which is the "correct" one), I was told it was a Scottish tune…I’m not sure if that’s right or not… anybody know?

Someone told me that the first low A represented the horn being sounded on the departing ship.

This tune comes from an old Scottish strathspey called "The Highland Watches Farewell to Ireland".

Going by memory, I also think that there is a song associated with the tune, corresponding with the 3rd and 2nd parts as written here. "Highland Harry":

http://www.worldburnsclub.com/poems/translations/highland_harry.htm

The tune is given as "Highlander’s Lament", which I believe is basically the same tune as "Highland Watch’s Farewell to Ireland" (Neil Stewart’s Collection of 1762).

Also related to The Ballydesmond Polka?

https://thesession.org/tunes/238

Yes, I see what you mean, there’s possibly something in that, slainte.

Especially in the second part. Maybe they both derived from the same Scots tune?

"Highland Watch’s Farewell to Ireland" is already here: https://thesession.org/tunes/2695

Hey all,

Just a quick hello. Dave Cory and I never recorded this version of Farewell to Ireland in A mix. We recorded another tune with the same title played in D.

…just for the record…

Best,
Eliot

well….Martyn Bennett (God bless) included it in his tune "Erin" and in the sleeve notes and his website it states…."the first tune is Farewell to Erin……so…it’s one of those tunes that has many names….and one of those names that has many tunes…….
afterall….. Erin and Ireland do mean the same thing

ROB

Adore this. what do whistle players do for the first section? is there a choreographed dance, do we twiddle our thumbs, or sing?

Play the low notes up an octave, or something within the whistles range that fits as a 5th, 4th or 3rd…but if you want to entertain us with a little dance number, well, I’m not going to say no… 😀

At it’s simplest, without changing a note ~

K: Ador
|: A3 c E3 F | GEDB GBDB | A3 c E3 F | GEDF EAAG |
A3 c E3 F | GEDB D2 g2 | edeg a2 ba | gedB BA A2 :|

After all these years of it being here, I just come across it now. I was taught it many years ago, in Clare, and the way I was taught it was in Amix throughout. Of course, I think that’s the best way with it.

🙂

Yeah, I quite like it in Mixolydian too… Now put that whistle away before you wear out the fipple… 😉

One of the reasons I do prefer it in Amix is that, if you can persuade a guitarist to play Amaj chords instead of boring old Amin, it has *so* much more of an achey, yearning feel to it.

Having said which, obviously I still play it in Amix even if I’m playing it solo.

Oh, I do love a good fipple. 😛

Although I reaaly like the great Barney McKenna’s version, especially since I play the banjo, I have to admit that the Bothy Band’s version is THEE version. Masterpeice, one of the only traditional tunes I’ve ever felt the urge to headbang to!

Anyone know the chords for this one? Pleeeeeease!!! If you’ve heard the Bothy Bands version you’ll know exactly why i want them!! ;)

Hmm…I have a standard D feadog tin whistle…it would be really cool to see the music for this song in E dorian.

You must be kidding? 😏

Let’s see what happens with just a little bit of that request filled ~ To E dorian & E Mixolydian

K: Edor
E3 G B3 c | dBAF DFAF | E3 G B3 c | dBAc BEED |
E3 G B3 c | dBAF A2 d’2 | babd’ e’2 f’e’ | d’baf FE E2 :|
K: EMix
e’2 e’d’ e’d’bc’ | ~

Just play the low notes you can’t reach with your D whistle up an octave…

Here’s a duplicated version, posted on 25th November by focus: ( https://thesession.org/members/6766 )

X: 1
T: Farewelto Erin
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
A,2A,C E2EF|GEDB, G,A,B,G,|A,2A,C E2EF|GEDB, EA,A,G,|
A,2A,C E2EF|GEDB, G,2g2|edeg ~a3f|gedB BA~A2:|
|:~a3b agef|~g3a gede|~a3b agef|gedB BA~A2|
agef ~g3e|dedB GABd|cBAB cdea|gedB BA~A2:|
|:eA(3cBA eA(3cBA|~d3B GB~B2|eA(3cBA ~e3a|gedB BA~A2|
eA(3cBA eA(3cBA|dedB GABd|cBAB cdea|gedB BA~A2:|
|:aece aece|gdBd gdBd|aece ~a3f|gedB BA~A2|
agef ~g3e|dedB GABd|cBAB cdea|gedB BA~A2:|

Just so it doesn’t get lost!

# Posted on November 25th 2009 by focus
https://thesession.org/members/6766

One of the great reels ~ I don’t know why it isn’t played more often. It’s a wonderful fiddle reel, and, mutatis mutandi, sounds great on the flute. There’s a wonderful old setting on Paddy in the Smoke.

Eileen Ivers & Seamus Egan have a wonderful version of it also. Their version of the reel on Dear Old Erin’s Isle: Irish Traditional Music from America, is simply electric and is very exciting. In general I’m not a fan of hopped up music, or reels on steroid. But in this case it certainly works.

I’ve been told that it’s originally a Scottish tune: "The Scotsman’s Farewell to Ireland".

# Posted on November 25th 2009 by focus

Anybody know the chords for farewell to erin by the bothy band on the bouzouki?

I don’t have a recording to hand, but I’d wager that it’s mostly Am and G (with A major in the 4th part).

I don’t mean to be unhelpful, but you’d learn a lot more by having a good, hard listen and working the chords out for yourself.

@D.Bucks - before going any further with this question, it might checking "Farewell to Erin" in the tune section of this site:

https://thesession.org/tunes/33

… and reading this comment:

Farewell to "Erin"
This is actually called "Farewell to Ireland". Farewell to Erin is a different tune completely (O’Neill’s 701). The Bothy Band confusingly called it Farewell to Erin. Whatever, it’s a great tune! Tommy Peoples does a great version of it on The High Part of The Road when he prefixes the reel with the first part played as an air. It gets everyone going in sessions especially when you go back to the low A for the start of the first part and give it a bit of stick!
# Posted on July 19th 2002 by Geoff Pollitt

I agree with CreadurMawnOrganig’s comments and think it is the most sensible suggestion in this discussion (said the man who is a backup musician and has accompanied this tune).

I play the First on Whistle/Flute like this:

A3 c e3 f|gedB GBdB|A3 c e3 f| gedf eAAG|
A3 c e3 f|gedB d2 g2|edeg a2 ba|gedB BA A2:|

It sounds really good when you play with instruments like fiddles, banjos etc. that have the range because your jumping in and out of the octave. 🙂 Try it!

It seems she made up her own cross-tuning to suit her haunting version in A(?). I think she’s tuned to ABAE!

Correction: Her fiddle is cross-tuned to EBF#C#. I think she’s playing in the key of B Mixo!

Here is a four part strathspey version from PM W Ross Collection, Book 5, under the name "Highland Harry".
I will add the gracing and post that when I find a few more minutes:

X:1
T:Highland Harry
S:PM W. Ross Col. Bk 5.
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:Strathspey
K:HP
e|A2A>B A2A>B|g>e d>B G>G G>g|e>d (3efg a2a>g| (3efg d>B A2A:|
B|:a2a2a2a>e|g>a (3gfe d>B G<g|e>d (3efg a2a>g| (3efg d>B A2A>B:|
|:e>A A2e>d (3efg|B<G G/2G/2G B<A (3Bcd|e>A A2e>d (3efg|a>e g>B A2A>B:|
a2 (3efg a2a>e|g2 (3Bcd g<a f3>d|a2 (3efg a2a>e|g>e d>B A2A>e|
a2 (3efg a2a>e|g2 (3Bcd g<a f>d|a2 (3efg (3fga e>f|g>e d>B A2A |]

A small error with an errant "3"

Corrected:

X:1
T:Highland Harry
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:Strathspey
K:HP
e|A2A>B A2A>B|g>e d>B G>G G>g|e>d (3efg a2a>g| (3efg d>B A2A:|
B|:a2a2a2a>e|g>a (3gfe d>B G<g|e>d (3efg a2a>g| (3efg d>B A2A>B:|
|:e>A A2e>d (3efg|B<G G/2G/2G B<A (3Bcd|e>A A2e>d (3efg|a>e g>B A2A>B:|
a2 (3efg a2a>e|g2 (3Bcd g<a f>d|a2 (3efg a2a>e|g>e d>B A2A>e|
a2 (3efg a2a>e|g2 (3Bcd g<a f>d|a2 (3efg (3fga e>f|g>e d>B A2A |]

It is good to not be alone in needing to make ‘corrections’… It’s a shame we can’t get rid of the evidence though and just leave the correction in its place…

http://www.irishtune.info/tune/608/

Check out Paddy Keenan’s self title album, track 12.

He gives most fiddle players a run for their money, despite playing the tune solo on whistle.

Oh right, I was gonna post a link:

https://thesession.org/recordings/444

Track 5
https://thesession.org/recordings/528

After forever I finally ‘get’ this tune… For years I heard one well-meaning, but not so talented player stumble through this monster week after week, sometimes more than once a night: not a good introduction.

Today, I stumbled across the strathspey setting of it and it all makes perfect sense. To each their own and all, but I prefer it played as a strathspey then played as a reel.

My version in E dorian

Hi, I did this transcript from a youtube video. The author of the video did not have a sheet available as he had learned it by ear. It is very very similar to a version performed by Barney McKenna with The Dubliners in one particular recording. Of course ornamentation varies a little, but it is still more similar to Barney’s version than any other sheet I have seen.

The youtube video I transcribed it from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_NxMJP07T8

play video

And the Barney McKenna’s version here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iFKVzMHzQY

play video

Note the difference between those 2 versions. I’ll go with Barney.

https://youtu.be/NC-g32Kg_Wg

play video

Phil on whistle, and Johnny….. 🙂

https://youtu.be/ZQXZQytr8AM

play video

What I meant was that the youtube user tried to play Barney’s version. Obviously Barney’s ornamention is more rich and varied, but the basics are there on the sheet. None of the other versions posted above served me as a guide to play the tune in Barney’s way, that’s why I did it. But then again it’s just that I like it that way. Of course there are many other versions equally as good technically. 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Niddy4mU4

play video

Suitable for whistle

By Kevin Burke : https://youtu.be/y-p0N0cc_Lc

play video

This is unusual - but better than a lot of other efforts at this tune around on "Youtube" :

https://youtu.be/9oaqgJbRFBE

play video

This is good : https://youtu.be/uBgErZRjEXE

play video

From the playing of Tickle Harbour, with Paddy Keenan. Sounds great on the pipes.

Kevin Burke *insists* this is called Farewell to Erin and not Farewell to Ireland in a video here:

https://www.fiddlevideo.com/farewell-to-erin-basic/ (Video is paywalled)

He says it’s not to be confused with Farewell to Ireland, a very different tune. I’m not saying he has final authority on what a tune is actually called - but just posting what Kevin said!