The Gold Ring jig

Also known as An Fáinne Óir, An Fáinne Ór, An Faire, Fainne Oir, The Golden Ring.

There are 106 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with Brendan Tonra’s (a few times), Dan Collins’ Father’s (a few times), Don’t Touch That Green Linnet (a few times), The Luck Penny (a few times) and Paddy O’Rafferty (a few times).

The Gold Ring has been added to 6 tune sets.

The Gold Ring has been added to 480 tunebooks.

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Seven settings

X: 1
T: The Gold Ring
R: jig

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X: 2
T: The Gold Ring
R: jig

M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
BAG ~A2d|cAG ~G2A|BAG A2d|cAG FGA|BAG A2d|cAG GBd|~g3 afd|cAF G2A:|
|:~B3 BAG|~A3 AGF|~G3 GFG|ADE FGA|~B3 BAG|~A3 AGF|FDE F2d|1 cAF G2A:|2 cAF G2g||
|:fdd edd|fdd edd|fdd edd|dcA GBd|fdd edd|fdd ed^c|dfa ged|1 cAF G2g:|2 cAF GBd||
fed|cAG FGA|~g3 fed|~g3 fed|~g3 afd|1 cAF GBd:|2 cAF G2E||
GBd|cAG FGA|DBB DBB|DAA DAA|~G3 GBd|1 cAF G2E:|2 cAF G2A||
GBd|cAG FGA|~B3 ~D3|~A3 ~D3|~G3 GBd|cAF G2A:|
A2G|cAG FGA|BAG AGF|GFD FGA|fag fed|1 cAF G2A:|2 cAF G3

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X: 3
T: The Gold Ring
R: jig

M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:BAG A2d|cAG ~G3|BAG A2d|cAG FGA|BAG A2d|cAG GBd|gbg afd|cAG G2A:|
|:~B3 Bdc|~A3 dcA|~G3 GFG|ADE FGA|~B3 Bdc|A3 dAG|FDE F2d|1 cAG G2A:|2 cAG G2g||
|:fdd edd|fdd edd|fdd ed^c|d=cA GBd|fdd edd|fdd ed^c|dfa gfd|1 cAG G2z:|2 cAG GBd||
|:~g3 efd|cAG GBd|~g3 efd|cAG FGA|~g3 efd|~g3 fed|gfg afd|1 cAG GBd:|2 cAG G2E||
|:DBB DBB|DAA DAA|~G3 GBd|cAG FGA|DBB DBB|DAA DAA|G3 GBd|1 cAF G2E:|2 cAF G2A||
|:~B3 ~D3|~A3 ~D3|~G3 GBd|cAG FGA|~B3 ~D3|~A3 ~D3|~G3 GBd|cAF G2A:|
|:B2G A2G|d2G G2A|B2G A2G|cAG FGA|BAG AGF|GFD FGA|fag fed|cAF G2A:|

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X: 4
T: The Gold Ring
R: jig

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X: 5
T: The Gold Ring
R: jig

M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
G|BAG A2d|cAG ~G3|BAG A.d.d|cAG A~F3|
BAG A.d.d|cAG GBd|gbg afd|cAF ~G2:|
z|~B3 {d}Bdc|~A3 .d.c.A|~G3 GBd|cAG FGA|
!slide!~B3 {d}B.d.c|(3.A.c.A dAG|FDE ~F2d|cAG ~G2:|
g|f.d.d e.d.d|f.d.d e.d.d|f.d.d ed^c|.d.cA ~G3|
f.d.d e.d.d|f.d.d ed^c|dfa gfd|cAF {c}G2:|
z|~g3 !slide!f2d|.cAG {d}GBd|~g3 !slide!f2 d|cAG ~F2A|
~g3 .f.e(d|!slide!~g3) .f.f(d|!slide!~g3) afd|cAF ~G2:|
E|D.B.B D.B.B|D.A.A D.A.A|~G3 GBd|cAG FGA|
D.B.B D.B.B|D.A.A D.A.A|~G3 GBd|cAF ~G2:|
A|~B3 D(3DDD|(3AcA A D(3DDD |~G3 GBd|cAG FGA|
~B3 D(3DDD|~A3 D(3DDD|~G3 GBd|cAF ~G2:|
A|B2G A2G|d2 G ~G2A|B2G A2G|cAG FGA|
BAG {d}AGF|GFE {B}FGA|(3.f.g.a f gdB|cAF {c}G2:|

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X: 6
T: The Gold Ring
R: jig

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X: 7
T: The Gold Ring
R: jig

M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
BAG A2d|cAF G2A|BAG A2d|cAG FGA|BAG A2d|cAF GBd|~g3 afd|1cAF G2A:|2cAF Gdc||
~B3 Bdc|~A3 dAF|~G3 GFG|A2d cAG|~B3 Bdc|~A3 dAG|FDE F2d|1cAF G2A:|2cAF GBd||
fdd edd|fdd edd|fdd efd|dcA GBd|fdd edd|fdd ed^c|dfa gfd|1cAF G2d:|2cAF GBd||
~g3 f2d|cAG G2d|~g3 f2d|cAG FAd|~g3 f2d|~g3 f2d|gdg afd|1cAF G2d:|2cAF GFE||
DBB DBB|DAA DAA|~G3 GBd|cAG FGA|DBB DBB|DAA DAA|~G3 GBd|cAF G2A:|
BAB ~D3|~A3 ~D3|~G3 GBd|cAG FGA|~B3 ~D3|~A3 ~D3|~G3 GBd|cAF G2A:|
B2G A2G|d2G G2A|B2G A2G|cAG FGA|BAG AGF|GFE FAd|faf fed|1cAF G2A:|2cAF G3||

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Seventeen comments

Don’t let the length of the tune scare you; as usual, most parts are simply variations on a theme. Once you’ve mastered the recurring bits (like the end of each part) then it’s simply a matter of remembering the order of the different parts.

There is another (equally long) tune that goes by the same name as this tune but I believe this is the more common gold ring. This tune is also played sometimes with a seventh part.

A recording by Seamus Ennis has him telling a very amusing story as to how this tune came about. The gist of it is that this tune was composed by the fairies, or little people, of Ireland.

The version I learnt (and can be found on Conal O Grada’s Top of Coom) is a bit different.
It has seven parts, as Jeremy pointed out, and although the first part is identical to his, the other parts are either slightly or quite different.
As posting all the variations separetely would be a bit confusing. I just post the entire version here as a comment. Enjoy.

BAG ~A2d|cAG ~G2A|BAG A2d|cAG FGA|BAG A2d|cAG GBd|~g3 afd|cAF G2A:|
|:~B3 BAG|~A3 AGF|~G3 GFG|ADE FGA|~B3 BAG|~A3 AGF|FDE F2d|1 cAF G2A:|2 cAF G2g||
|:fdd edd|fdd edd|fdd edd|dcA GBd|fdd edd|fdd ed^c|dfa ged|1 cAF G2g:|2 cAF GBd||
fed|cAG FGA|~g3 fed|~g3 fed|~g3 afd|1 cAF GBd:|2 cAF G2E||
GBd|cAG FGA|DBB DBB|DAA DAA|~G3 GBd|1 cAF G2E:|2 cAF G2A||
GBd|cAG FGA|~B3 ~D3|~A3 ~D3|~G3 GBd|cAF G2A:|
A2G|cAG FGA|BAG AGF|GFD FGA|fag fed|1 cAF G2A:|2 cAF G3

Thanks for that, Toni! I’ve been thinking I really should learn this one, and it’ll be lovely to have Conal’s version. :)

Zina

I can’t quite makensense of Toni’s version above - I think something must have gone wrong in the posting. This is the setting I am most familiar with:

BAG A2d|cAG ~G3|BAG A2d|cAG FGA|BAG A2d|cAG GBd|gbg afd|cAG G2A:|
|:~B3 Bdc|~A3 dcA|~G3 GFG|ADE FGA|~B3 Bdc|A3 dAG|FDE F2d|1 cAG G2A:|2 c
AG G2g||
|:fdd edd|fdd edd|fdd ed^c|d=cA GBd|fdd edd|fdd ed^c|dfa gfd|1 cAG G2z:|2
cAG GBd||
|:~g3 efd|cAG GBd|~g3 efd|cAG FGA|~g3 efd|~g3 fed|gfg afd|1 cAG GBd:|2 c
AG G2E||
|:DBB DBB|DAA DAA|~G3 GBd|cAG FGA|DBB DBB|DAA DAA|G3 GBd|1 cAF G2E:|2 c
AF G2A||
|:~B3 ~D3|~A3 ~D3|~G3 GBd|cAG FGA|~B3 ~D3|~A3 ~D3|~G3 GBd|cAF G2A:|
|:B2G A2G|d2G G2A|B2G A2G|cAG FGA|BAG AGF|GFD FGA|fag fed|cAF G2A:|

It differs most significantly from Jeremy’s version in the 4th and 5th parts, and in the addition of the 7th part. This is based on Henrik Norbeck’s transcription, although I have altered a few notes here and there, and reduced the ornamentation somewhat. I have left in all the ~ symbols in the 6th part as I feel the ornamentaion is integral to the tune. Coming from the piping repertoire, the ~D3s in the 6th part are best cranned on pipes, whistle or flute - and there are ways of imitating this on fiddle (listen to Frankie Gavin on De Danann’s 1st album) and mandolin/banjo.

There are at least two other jigs called The Gold Ring. One is an entirely different tune, in D, posted recently in The Session. The other appears in O’Neills, and although quite a distinct tune, is clearly of the same family as this one, the final parts of the two tunes being pretty much identical.

The Gold Ring Piping Version

A fantastic rendition

Last night I heard Nollaig Casey performing the Gold Ring. What was amazing is how she played pipes on the fiddle! You could even hear the regulators.

Flugel Horn version

Celtic Jazz man Neil Yates plays this on his flugel horn, sounds fantastic.

The Gold Ring

Cracking on the khaen……
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asLxqOV0rbQ

play video

Matt Molloys version is the other Gold ring on here

https://thesession.org/tunes/1351 is the one from the Pathway to the Well CD.

Gold Ring Piper Version

I think this is a mixture of the versions of Willie Clancy and Liam O’Flynn (two of my piping heros)

As played by “Craobh Rua”…..

http://youtu.be/6ILPUfUYr6E

play video

Boys of the Lough Version

This is transcribed directly from "Music and Song from the Boys of the Lough" as played on their "Second Album.

According to the note from the book, "The story concerns a farmer who, on returning home late one night, surprised a fairy gathering. The fairies were dancing to the music of a fairy piper, but on hearing the intruder, they ran off. The farmer, about to continue on his way, found a gold fairy ring. He returned it to the fairies (naturally, he knew just where to find them). In exchange, they gave him the tune that the fairy piper had been playing."

9 part gold ring

I learnt a lovely 9 part version of the gold ring from uilleann piper dicky deegan which he calls an amalgemation of the willie clancy and o’neills 1850 versions, very nice, i have asked him to post it, hope he pulls his finger out.