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The Bonnie Isle O’ Whalsey reel

Also known as The Boanie Isle O’Whalsay, Bonnie Isle A’ Whalsay, The Bonnie Isle O’ Whalsay, The Bonnie Isle Of Whalsay, Bonny Isle A’ Whalsay, Da Boanie Isle O Whalsay, Da Boanie Isle O Whalsey, Da Boanie Isle O’Whalsay, Da Boannie Isle O’ Whalsey, Da Bonnie Isle A’ Whalsay, Da Bonnie Isle O’ Whalsay, Da Bonnie Isle O’Whalsay, Da Bonny Isle A’ Whalsay, Da Bonny Isle O’Whalsey.

There are 18 recordings of this tune.
This tune has been recorded together with

The Bonnie Isle O’ Whalsey has been added to 22 tune sets.

The Bonnie Isle O’ Whalsey has been added to 85 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Three settings

1
Sheet Music
Sheet Music
Sheet Music
2
Sheet Music
3
Sheet Music
Sheet Music
Sheet Music

Nine comments

A tune from Shetland. It is sometimes played with the high ’e’s at the start of bars 1 and 3 slurred across the bar lines, giving it a syncopated feel, a feature more common in Shetland than Irish fiddling.

The following setting is from Richard Robinsons Tunebook.

M:4/4
K:Amix
(e2|e)d cA B2ed|cA Ac BE2(e|e)d cA B2ed|\
cA B^G A2::
AB|\
cd eg fd ed|cA Ac BE E(c|c)d eg fd ed|\
cA BG A2A2|
cd eg fd ed|cA Ac BE Ec|\
cd ef ga ge|dB GB A2||

Slurs

Yeah, you’ve really got to accent the high E’s in the A section with slurs to make this work. It’s a really super tune - I play it often. Have you ever tried it in the same set as Spootiskerry? This tune also works best with syncopated bowings and makes a good partner to Bonnie Isle of Whalsey

The Bonnie Isle O’ Whalsay

Sorry,I made a mistake in the abc.The high Gs in the second part should be natural.I’ll alter the abc and perhaps Jeremy could edit the sheet music.

Tom Anderson, Aly Bain and Dave Tulloch recorded this as the last tune in a monster set of reels:

Jack Broke da Prison Door, Donald Blue, Sleep Soond i‘ da Moarnin’, Lasses Trust in Providence, Da Boanie Isle O’ Whalsay

A golden oldie.

Also recorded by Dougie McLean, on his first album several years ago, with yours truly on flute.

5 reels

In Shetland, that set laid out by granama is played at practically every session, often as the first set - if anyone suggests the “5 reels” or the “Auld 5”, that’s what they mean.

Shetland 5

I was checking this out since someone at our local session is playing 3 of them and thought it might be useful to have all the links here. (we play 1,2 and 5)
Jack Broke da Prison Door,
https://thesession.org/tunes/1260
Donald Blue,
https://thesession.org/tunes/1175
Sleep Soond i‘ da Moarnin’, (read the comments for the 2 part version)
https://thesession.org/tunes/1001
Lasses Trust in Providence,
https://thesession.org/tunes/8229
Da Boanie Isle O’ Whalsay (this one)
https://thesession.org/tunes/3583