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The Old Road To Garry reel

Also known as Road To Garrykennedy.

There are 22 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with The Bush In Bloom (a few times), Captain Kelly (a few times) and John Brosnan’s (a few times).

The Old Road To Garry has been added to 1 tune set.

The Old Road To Garry has been added to 55 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Five settings

X: 1
T: The Old Road To Garry
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
dF~F2 ABdf|edBA BedB|AF~F2 d2af|g2ag fdef|
dF~F2 ABdf|edBA (3Bcd ef|g2ge f2df|ebag fdd2||
|:af~f2 dfed|Bdgf eafg|a2af dfaf|g2ag fdd2|
af~f2 af~f2|gabg eafa|b2ag fedB|ABde fdef||
X: 2
T: The Old Road To Garry
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
cE E/E/E GAce | dcAG AdcA | GE E/E/E c2 ge | f2 gf ecde |
cE E/E/E GAce | dcAG A/B/c de | f2 fd e2 ce | dagf ecde ||
ge e/e/e cedc | Acfe dgef | gcge cege | f2 gf ecce |
ge e/e/e gece | fgaf dgeg | a2 gf edcA | GAcd ecde |]
X: 3
T: The Old Road To Garry
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|: dF ~F2 ABdf | edBA BedB | AF ~F2 ABdf | ~g2 ag f2 fe |
dF~F2 ABdf | edBA (3Bcd ef | g2 ag faaf |[1 bfde eddz :|[2 e2 de eddz ||
|:~a2 fd Adfd | Beed efgb | ~a2 fd Ad{e/f/}ed | gbag fddz |
~a2 fd Adfd | Beed efga | ~b2 af f/g/f/e/dB | ABdg fedz :|
X: 4
T: The Old Road To Garry
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Fmaj
e |fA ~A2 cdfa | gfdc dgfd | cA ~A2 cdfa | b2 c'b affe |
fA ~A2 cdfa | gfdc d/e/f ga | bdgb ~a3 f | gafg af f2 ||
c'c'af c'faf | dggd gabd' | c'c'af cfaf | bd'c'b af f2 |
c'c'af c'faf | dgg^f gabc' | d'ac'a gafd | cdfg afga ||
f3 c dcAc | dgg^f gbag | fA ~A2 cdfa | b2 c'b affe |
fefc dcAc | dggf ecde | fac'a gafd | cdfg af f2 ||
ac'c'b afac' | d'ac'a gfdc | ac' ~c'2 agfd | cdfg af f2 |
ac'c'b afac' | d'ac'a gfga | ~b3 g ~a2 c'a | gafg aff |]
X: 5
T: The Old Road To Garry
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
B |cE ~E2 GAce | dcAG AdcA | GE ~E2 GAce | f2 gf eccB |
cE ~E2 GAce | dcAG A/B/c de | fAdf ~e3 c | decd ec c2 ||
ggec gcec | AddA defa | ggec Gcec | fagf ec c2 |
ggec gcec | Add^c defg |aege decA | GAcd ecde ||
c3 G AGEG | Add^c dfed | cE ~E2 GAce | f2 gf eccB |
cBcG AGEG | Addc BGAB | cege decA | GAcd ec c2 ||
eggf eceg | aege dcAG | eg ~g2 edcA |GAcd ec c2 |
eggf eceg | aege dcde | ~f3 d ~e2 ge | decd ecc |]

Seventeen comments

The Old Road To Garry (reel)

Composer: Paddy O’Brien the elder, of Tipperary
Source: Kelly , Alan & John - "Fourmilehouse"
Transcription: gmp

Paddy O’Brien used to play in the sessions in the pub in Garrykennedy, which is a lovely village right on the edge of the River Shannon at Lough Derg. So I presume this tune name refers to Garry(Kennedy) as I have heard the placename abbreviated by the locals before.

D is an alternate key for this tune

Paddy composed this tune in the key of C. Most recordings I know of are in C, and at sessions I’ve only heard it played in C as well.

Back to the future - - - a retro-respect:

Two row button accordion player from Newtown (Nenagh), Co. Tipperary, a fine composer. Chase this book up if you can find it.

"The Compositions of Paddy O’Brien" - Ossian, 1992

Here’s a few of his lovely melodies that have found their way on site and are worth revisiting, as well as some valued commentary:

reel: Dinny O’Brien - contributor: Will Harmon
https://thesession.org/tunes/1667

reel: Hanley’s Tweed - contributor:Jeremy
https://thesession.org/tunes/1894

reel: The Nervous Man - contributor: Dow / Mark Anderson
https://thesession.org/tunes/3247

reel: Ormond Sound - contributor: Will Harmon
https://thesession.org/tunes/426

jig: The Boys of Lough Gowna - contributor: bannerman
https://thesession.org/tunes/3377

jig: The New House - contributor - Graham Guerin
https://thesession.org/tunes/2484

Here’s another of his made famous and changed some by the playing and inclinations of Joe Cooley (two row accordion button accordion), and consequently now usually taken as "Cooley’s Hornpipe":

https://thesession.org/tunes/1052

Another transcription:

K: Cmaj
cE (3EEE GAce|dcAG AdcA|GE (3EEE c2 ge|f2 gf ecde|
cE (3EEE GAce|dcAG (3ABc de|f2 fd e2 ce|dagf ecde||
ge (3eee cedc|Acfe dgef|gcge cege|f2 gf ecce|
ge (3eee gece|fgaf dgeg|a2 gf edcA|GAcd ecde||

reel: Larkin’s Beehive - contributor - Gian Marco

4 parts….

Surprising that nobody’s noticed that the original version of this reel by Paddy O’Brien has 4 parts, not just 2. The original key was "C", as mentioned above.

Posted by .

I was just thinking the same.

“The Old Road To Garry” ~ rescued duplication - as a double reel

Submitted (as ‘gan ainm’) on July 4th 2012 by Sean B..
~ /tunes/12045

X: 3
T: Gan Ainm
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|: dF ~F2 ABdf | edBA BedB | AF ~F2 ABdf | ~g2 ag f2 fe |
dF~F2 ABdf | edBA (3Bcd ef | g2 ag faaf |[1 bfde eddz :|[2 e2 de eddz ||
|:~a2 fd Adfd | Beed efgb | ~a2 fd Ad{e/f/}ed | gbag fddz |
~a2 fd Adfd | Beed efga | ~b2 af f/g/f/e/dB | ABdg fedz :|

& the notes ~

I got it from the following Youtube video but I couldn’t find any mention of its title in the description or comments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAyENIYI328


# Posted on July 4th 2012 by Sean B.


Yes, but…..
… there are 2 reels after the slow air. First is "Martin Wynne’s No.3", and the 2nd is - as Nigel says - "The Old Road To Garry", played in "D", as you have transcribed. Nevertheless, it has been posted here already, and would therefore count as a duplicate.

Incidentally - and this has never been pointed out in the other submission until today , - Paddy O’Brien’s book has "The Road To Garry" with 4 parts, - and the original key was "C".

# Posted on July 5th 2012 by Kenny

The Old Road To Garry

"The title of this tune refers to the road below "Larkin’s Bar" in Garrykennedy which links the village to the neighbouring village of Portroe…The opening bars of this composition are inscribed on the gravestone at Paddy’s final resting place in Garrykennedy." - The Definitive Collection of the Music of Paddy O’Brien 1922-1991 (Troon 2009).

The done thing?

A friend is asking me about the 4-part original tune in C. Clearly, several contributors have the Paddy O’Brien definitive collection - as do I - and could submit the setting that is printed there. Do I take it that submitting a setting copied out of a book is not kosher?

X: 4 “The Old Road To Garry”

As played on an F whistle by Vinnie Kilduff…

X: 5 “The Old Road To Garry” C: Paddy O’Brien

The above, Vinnie Kilduff’s take on it, transposed from F to C Major, how the composer Paddy O’Brien had it, and as it is given in the collections of his compositions.

Re: |: “The Old Road To Garry” :| with or without repeats…

While Vinnie plays this as a 4-part single reel, 32 bars in total, the O’Brien collection shows it as a double reel with repeats, 64 bars in total. Whether or not Paddy actually played it as, and intended it to be, a single or a double reel I do not know. Collections have gotten such things wrong before…