Sollus Lillis reel

Myself and the Rev. Gary Hastings learnt this tune when we shared a flat in Derry, with only a few pennies between us, playing kept out a little of the cold. A simple little tune on stringed or reed instruments but apparently, because of it’s purely Pentatonic nature is finger creasing for the flute.

The 2nd part is the same “shape” as the 1st part of the Steampacket. Makes it really easy to learn. If you know the Steampacket that is.

And I just noticed something else looking at Norbeck’s version:

X: 1
T: Solus Lillis’
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Cmaj
c2Bc AcGA|c2ec gcec|c2Bc AcGc|eaag ed~d2:|
|:ed~d2 edcd|ed~d2 eaag|ed~d2 edcA|1 ~c3d eaag:|2 ~c3d eage||

The 1st part is like the 1st part of Mama’s Pet https://thesession.org/tunes/1290 transposed into C. Cool, I didn’t even have to learn this one 🙂

The 2nd part is actually more similar to that of “The Beauty Spot”: https://thesession.org/tunes/1270

Oh yeah, well spotted Slainte.

1st part is a little like Humours of Tulla too

Clearly the same tune as “The Boys of Tulla”

I got it from Deidre, so it could be called Deirdre’s reel, unless someone comes up with another name for it.

How could it be called Deirdre’s reel? You can’t just give tunes names willie nilly. It’s called Solus Lillis.
https://thesession.org/tunes/4001

Version in G. This is closer to how I know the tune…..

# Posted on January 17th 2010 by robinlew

X: 1
T: Gan Ainm
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|: G2 FG EGDE | G2 BG dGBA | GAFG EGDG | (3Bcd ed BdAB |
G2 FG EGDE | G2 BG dGBA | G2 FG EGDG | (3Bcd ed BA A2 :|
|: BA A2 BAGA | BA A2 (3Bcd ed| BA A2 BAGE | DEGA (3Bcd ed |
BA A2 BAGA | BA A2 (3Bcd ed | BA A2 BAGE | DEGA BdAB :|

I strongly recommend this excellent online application called “Tunepal” :

http://www.comp.dit.ie/bduggan/music/matt2/index.php

For example: “Solus Lillis’ Reel” came on the first position with the ABC you have posted.

Emmanuel

Of course you can just give tunes names willie nilly. That’s probably how it was called “Solus Lillis” in the first place.

Fifty years ago, Paddy Canny, P Joe Hayes, Peadar O’Loughlin, and Bridie Lafferty named Sean Ryan’s “Glen of Aherlow” “Lafferty’s” willie nilly. Many people still call it that.

That is bull. No you can’t Gary. I detest that attitude. You record a copyright tune and name it whatever you like and see how popular you are with the composer.

Here is just one example of a popular tune that caused a rumpus by being wrongly named. https://thesession.org/tunes/518

I didn’t express an attitude; I pointed out that it is possible to do something, which is what the word “can” means. I said nothing about whether it is appropriate to do so. People make up names for existing tunes quite often, and sometimes those names stick. That’s all I said.

Solus Lillis was a Clare concertina player, and this tune was called after him in the first volume of Breathnach’s Ceol Rince books. It is one of a large family of tunes, most often called “Mama’s Pet,” that share a version of the first part. Compare “Timothy Downing’s” in O’Neill.