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The Western hornpipe

Also known as The Athlone, Bobby Gardiner’s, Cornphíopa Phádraig Uí Bhriain, Dealg Na Teaṁraċ, Mountain Stream, The Mountain Stream, Paddy O’Brien’s, The Tara Brooch Highland Fling, The Tara Brooch, The Tarra Broach.

There are 26 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with The High Level (a few times), The Cuckoo (a few times), The Flowing Tide (a few times), The Stage (a few times) and The Wily Old Bachelor (a few times).

The Western appears in 2 other tune collections.

The Western has been added to 2 tune sets.

The Western has been added to 81 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Five settings

1
X: 1
T: The Western
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
gf |: ec c2 GcEc | ec (3cBc GcEc | AF F2 CFA,F | (3ABc Bd cegf :|
|: (3efe ce gage | (3fgf df afgf |[1 (3efe ce agfe |
(3ded (3cBA G2 gf :|[2 (3efe ce dGBC | dccB c4||
2
X: 2
T: The Western
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
e>c (3ccc G>cE>c | e>c (3ccc G>cE>c | A>F (3FFF C>FA,>F | (3ABc B>d c>eg>f |
e>c 3cBc G>^FG>c | e>c (3ccc G>c (3EGc | A>F (3FFF C>FA,>F | (3ABc B>d c2 :|
(3eee c>e g>ag>e | (3fff d>f a2 g>f | e2 c>e a>gf>e | d>cB<A G2 g>f |
e2 (3cde g2 (3gfe | f2 (3def a2 g>f | e>g (3ggg a>fd<B | (3ccc c>B c2 :|
3
X: 3
T: The Western
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
f>d (3dcd A>dF>d | f>d (3dcd A>dF>d | B>G (3GGG D>G>B>G | (3Bcd c>e d>fa>g |
f>d (3dcd A>^GA>d | f>d (3dcd A>^GA>d | B>G (3GGG D>G (3GGG | (3Bcd c>e d>a |
(3faf d>f a>^ga>f | (3gbg e>g b>^ab>g | (3faf d>f b>agf | (3efe (3dcB A>a^g>a |
f>A (3def a>ba>f | g>B (3efg b2 a>g | f>a (3aaa b>g (3edc | d2 A2 D>a :|
4
X: 4
T: The Western
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amix
|:ABcd eA A/A/A|ABcd eagc|d2 fd gBdB|BAeA fAe^g|
aA A/A/A ABcA|ABcd eagc|d2 fd gBdB|[1 BAeA A3 E:|[2 BAeA A2 cd||
|:ea ~a2 eA B/c/d|BGdB gBcd|ea ~a2 efga|ecdB ABcd|
ea ~a2 eA B/c/d|BGdB gBdB|BAeA fAed|[1 cAeA A2 cd:|[2 cAeA A3 E||
5
X: 5
T: The Western
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
gf | ec (3cBc Gc E2 | ec (3cBc Gc EG | AF EF CF A,2 | Ac (3Bcd c2 gf |
ec (3cBc Gc EG | ec (3cBc Gc EG | AF (3FGF CF A,c | Ac (3Bcd c2 gf :|
e2 ce (g2 g)e | fA df a2 gf | e2 ce ag fe | dc BA G2 gf |
e2 ce (g2 g)e | fA df a2 gf | (3ege ce (3ded Bd | c2 cB c2 gf :|
# Added by DomW .

Ten comments

I was surprized this one wasn’t on here already. I think Michael Coleman recorded it.

the low c in the last bar is a mistake. it’s supposed to be an octave higher.

2nd to last bar

"The Western" / "The Tara Brooch" / "The Mountain Stream" / "The Athlone ~ Hornpipe

I’ve known this in several guises an keys but as a 32 bar hornpipe:

K:C Major
|: g>f |
e>c (3ccc G>cE>c | e>c (3ccc G>cE>c | A>F (3FFF C>FA,>F | (3ABc B>d c>eg>f |
e>c 3cBc G>^FG>c | e>c (3ccc G>c (3EGc | A>F (3FFF C>FA,>F | (3ABc B>d c2 :|
|: g>f |
(3eee c>e g>ag>e | (3fff d>f a2 g>f | e2 c>e a>gf>e | d>cB<A G2 g>f |
e2 (3cde g2 (3gfe | f2 (3def a2 g>f | e>g (3ggg a>fd<B | (3ccc c>B c2 :|

"The Western Hornpipe" ~ another key and a few other ways

There’s no reason you can’t play it in C on winds, just play the notes too low to finger up an octave, for example ~ | A>F (3FFF c>FA>F | ~ etc… But here it is in the key of D, following that lead, playing the notes lower D up an octave ~ | B>G (3GGG D>GB,>G | ~ …

K: D Major
|: ^g>a |
f>d (3dcd A>dF>d | f>d (3dcd A>dF>d | B>G (3GGG D>G>B>G | (3Bcd c>e d>fa>g |
f>d (3dcd A>^GA>d | f>d (3dcd A>^GA>d | B>G (3GGG D>G (3GGG | (3Bcd c>e d>a |
|: ^g>a |
(3faf d>f a>^ga>f | (3gbg e>g b>^ab>g | (3faf d>f b>agf | (3efe (3dcB A>a^g>a |
f>A (3def a>ba>f | g>B (3efg b2 a>g | f>a (3aaa b>g (3edc | d2 A2 D>a :|

That said, I should have added, I prefer it as a 16 measure tune and played as a ‘highland fling’…but you probably guessed that anyway… 😉

The link for the Western that directs you here from the Recordings data base from the seminal Liz Carroll Album of the same name is actually a different tune. It should read the western reel and lovely as this hornpipe is, it’s not the tune from Liz Carroll’s album.

I had just typed up my first abc from a transcription and was intending posting it after checking the tunes data base when I came across it, posted by protz in January 2010:

https://thesession.org/tunes/10198

X: 1
T: Western, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amix
|:ABcd eA A/A/A|ABcd eagc|d2 fd gBdB|BAeA fAe^g|
aA A/A/A ABcA|ABcd eagc|d2 fd gBdB|[1 BAeA A3 E:|[2 BAeA A2 cd||
|:ea ~a2 eA B/c/d|BGdB gBcd|ea ~a2 efga|ecdB ABcd|
ea ~a2 eA B/c/d|BGdB gBdB|BAeA fAed|[1 cAeA A2 cd:|[2 cAeA A3 E||

Almost identical to the version I have, but protz has made a better job of the ornamentation, thanx protz.

Western Hornpipe

I have a question for the group. On John Whelan’s "Pride of Wesford" album, he plays a set of hornpipes titled"Paddy O’briens Hornpipes". The second tune in the set is the Western Hornpipe. Can anyone identify the first one. I would be most grateful.

The Western, X:5

transcribed from the classic album Russell’s house with Simon Bradley and Eamonn Coyne. Great set of hornpipes

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