The Fox On The Town reel

I heard this Jig played by Trouble in the kitchen with a great rythmic backup.Quite a job to play up to speed.

Does anyoneknow who wrote this tune? It sounds distinctly modern - but none the less traditional for it. A great tune.

This is written by one of the Dwyer bros in west Cork. Yes a modern tune. There is a version of it on Garry Shannons recent flute album.

T:Fox on the Town, The
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Garry Shannon
R:reel
Z:g.m.p
K:G
g2fg edBA|~G2BG DG(3Bcd|gedg ~e3f|g2fd efga|
be~e2 edBA|~G2BG DG(3Bcd|efgb agfa|~g3f g3a:|
be~e2 bage|dB~B2 dega|be~e2 bage|dgge ~a3b|
~g3d egdB|G2(3Bcd edBd|efgb agfa|~g3f g3a:|

This tune has been composed by a great whistle player, the late Michael Dwyer.

Then why do so many people call it, “Richard Dwyer’s”?

Richard’s? Leeds musicians call this tune “John Dwyer’s.” Please don’t ask me why.

Jeremy caught a funky version of this which I submitted as a ‘Ril Gan Ainm’… This is my attempt at a translation of Loretto Reid’s (Sligo transplant living in Canada) mad whistle playing… Keep in mind that, even after breaking my back to work out this version, nothing compares to Reid’s amazing and unique style and she never plays the same thing twice. Check out this tune and other great stuff with hubbie Brian Taheny on strings on ‘Celtic Mettle’ et. al….

T: The Fox on the Town
C: Trad (arr. Loretto Reid)
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|: g/f/edB e2dB | GAB/A/G DGBd | gedB ~e3f | g2fg effd | ~B3e-edBA | GAB/A/G DGBd | efgb adef |1 fga/g/f ~g3f :|2 fga/g/f ~g3a | b~e3 befe | d~B3 dega | b~e3 befe | deg/a/b ~a3f | g2ge b/c/ddb | ~G3A Bcdg | efgb adef | 1 fga/g/f ~g3a :|2 fga/g/f ~g3f

My version is almost like this:

K: Gmaj
g|gedg edBA|~G3B dGBd|gedg e3f|g2fg efga|
beed edBA|~G3B dGBd|eggb agfe|dggf g3:|
a|be~e2 bage|dB~B2 dega|be~e2 bage|dggb agef|
g3e dBAB|GDGB dGBd|eggb agfe|dggf g3:|

I personally love playing this tune after Dan Breen’s.

I spoke to Richard Dwyer yesterday. He calls it “Richard Dwyer’s”

What a relief! I’m glad he doesn’t call it Paddy Fahey’s!

For anyone after the Capercaillie whistle version with it’s funky bar 3:

X: 1
T: Fox On The Town, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
gedB edBA|GdBG DG (3Bcd|gedB eAfA|geed e2ga|
bgfa gedB|G2BG DG (3Bcd|efgb ~a3f|1 gbaf g2ba:|2 gbaf g2z2||
|:be~e2 bege|deBe dega|bggf g2be|degb ~a3f|
g2ge dedB|G2 (3Bcd edBd|efgb ~a3f|1 gbaf g2z2:|2 gbaf g2ba||

And for anyone after the Trouble In The Kitchen version:

X: 1
T: Fox On The Town, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
ef|gedg edBA|~G3B dG (3Bcd|gedg ~e3f|g2fg efga|
beed edBA|~G3B dG (3Bcd|efgb af~f2|gbaf g2:|
|:ga|bege Bege|dB~B2 dega|bege Bege|degb ~a3b|
g2fg edBA|~G3B dG (3Bcd|efgb af~f2|gbaf g2:|

Some of the flute variations I like are in bar 3 of the B-part where it goes |~b3z Bege| or |{f}~g3b {f}~g3b|.

I played it with Ben!

Here we’re calling this one Finbar Dwyer’s… 😉

This is a Richard Dwyer composition [it appears on his recording “In a Creative Mood”] and he simply calls it Richard Dwyer’s. I don’t know where The Fox on the Town title comes from though.

The first tune here by Brendan Mulholland, Brendan Hendry and Paul McSherry, played up a semi tone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkFK7qB2Zxw

play video

https://thesession.org/recordings/1909

I’d thought it was a Finbar Dwyer tune…

As PB suggests, Richard has names for his compositions, other than just his own:

“I will try to update the tune database with the names Richie has for his tunes as I come across them.”

# Posted on January 24th 2006 by Phantom Button

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/FOU_FOY.htm#FOX_ON_THE_TOWN

“Composed by Richard Dwyer. Vallely (Armagh Pipers Club Play 50 Reels), 1982”

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/RI_RJ.htm#RICHARD_DWYER’S_[2]

“The tune actually should be called “Finbar Dwyer’s” as it comes from the playing of Richard’s father, however the tune is often credited to Richie.”

Here is my new recording of Fox on the Town/McFarley’s if you want to listen 🙂
https://soundcloud.com/pierre-kolle/fox-on-the-town-mcfarleys-pierre-kolle

I like playing it on the fiddle an octave lower. It’s quite fun to spend some time on the G string.

Just to correct the misinformation above, Finbarr, God rest him, was Richard’s brother (not his Father, the Father’s name was John).
As stated above by kkrell and as told to us in Kenmare by the composer himself(Richard!),Richard does not have a name on this tune but titles it simply as “Richard Dwyers”. He does not know either where the title “The Fox on The Town” originated from.

Niall Keegan does a really different jazzy version of it. : )

Very flexible tune. Lends itself easily to a hornpipe as well.

A local version from DC, resembling what’s heard in this recording of local flute player Elaine Thompson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVauK_sUOHY

play video

Randal Bays plays this in D and it’s great!