O’Connell’s Farewell To Dublin reel

From the repertoire of PJ Crotty. PJ played this for his flute class at the Willie Clancy School in 1980. The only other person I’ve ever heard play it - and record it - is John Skelton, who plays a slow version on his solo CD “One At A Time”. There is a 3-part hornpipe version which was recorded by Chieftains fiddler Sean Keane, but which came first, I have no idea. That may explain the triplets which appear in the 4th part. This tune deserve to be better known, and if you choose to learn it, when you play it, please remember the name of PJ Crotty.

Nice tune, Kenny, and a fine tribute to Mr. Crotty.

Could you change the key sig in the details and abcs to read A Dorian? That’d be more accurate, for all those backers out there.

Might go nicely after O’Connell’s Trip to Parliament:
https://thesession.org/tunes/1443

Should note that the tune by this name on “Fortune Favours the Merry” by Peter horan and Gerry Harrington is a jig, not the reel version listed here.

This sounds like a version of the hornpipe “The Drunken Sailor”
https://thesession.org/tunes/553

Transcription source here :
https://youtu.be/-crBWSvmaKg

play video

Did you know you have the B and C parts reversed in your transcription?

Your transcription order appears to match John Skelton’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r62G85SsCCM

play video

You’re quite correct, Nico, and thanks for pointing that out. It was 14 years ago, but I must have done the transcription from John’s recording. A bit lazy of me, maybe - John plays it as a slow reel, definitely easier to transcribe than P.J.’s “full on” version. The change in order of the parts never registered with me somehow. Mea culpa.

I’m just glad I’m not losing it :D Thanks for the recording, I’ll likely learn the tune!

Here’s a transcription a bit closer to PJ Crotty (I think), anyway it’s more or less how I’m trying to play it.

X: 1
T: O’Connell’s Farewell To Dublin
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
(3ABc BG A2 (3Bcd | eaaf gedB | G2 GA GEDE | G2BG AGEG |
AcBG A2 (3Bcd | eaaf gedg | eaaf gfef |1gedB A3 G :|2 gedB A2Bd ||
eaag agab | (3c’ba (3bag agef | g3a gfef |(3gfe be gedz |
|1 eaag agab | (3c‘ba bc’ agef | g3a gfef | gedB A2 Bd :|
|2 eaag agab |(3c’ba bg agef | gzga gfef | gedB A3 B ||
cBAB cdef | g2 ag gede | dBGB dege |dBGB dedB |
cBAB cdef | g2 ag gedz | eaaf gfef | gedB A3 B :||
ce ae (3cde (3ABc | (3Bcd gd (3Bcd gd | (3cde ae (3cde ag | egaf gedB |
ce Ae ce (3ABc | Bdgd Bdgz | eaaf gfef |1gedB A3 B :||2gedB A3 G|

Does anyone here know where this tune originated from? Did PJ Crotty compose it? I’ve been trying to find other recordings(other then the ones already listed, which are seemingly all fairly obscure) and information about this tune but haven’t really had a lot of luck. Amazing tune though

PJ never made any claim to having composed this when I recorded him playing it for the flute class at the Willie Clancy week in 1980. I do wish that we had asked. As I mentioned when posting the tune, fiddler Sean Keane recorded a 3-part hornpipe of the same name which is very similar. [ Hasn’t been posted here yet, apparently ]. The “Gusty’s Frolics” sleeve notes say that the version he [ SK ] plays is “ a hornpipe taught to Sean by the Cree, County Clare fiddler Patrick Kelly” - so that maintains the Co. Clare connection.
PS - I never did find out where John Skelton sourced the tune from. It may be in the “One At A Time” CD notes, but I do not have that CD any longer.

Correction : I mixed up 2 hornpipes from Sean Keane’s LP. “O‘C’sFTD” has 2 parts, it’s another hornpipe on the LP which has 3. Apparently, it’s taken me 16 years to remember that 🙂.
Also just seen that the reel is in “Ceol Rince na hEireann” Vol.2 [ #231 ]. The source notes at the end give credit to “Mhairtin O’Criochain, Sraid na Cathrach, Co. An Chlair 1959”. Someone who speaks Irish Gaelic could maybe confirm that I suspect that translates as “Martin Crehan, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare” - better known as “Junior” Crehan as the source, and collected by Breandan Breathnach in 1959.

This is the setting as played by The Rude Mechanicals on their CD ‘Lady Pentweazle’s Maggot’.

That transcription is 99% from Breathnach Vol.2.

Paul de Grae’s translation: “231. Slán Uí Chonaillle Baile Átha Cliath: O’Connell’s Farewell to Dublin, from Martin [”Junior“] Crehan [fiddle], Miltown Malbay, County Clare, VIII, 1959.”
http://www.nigelgatherer.com/books/CRE/cre2.html

Thanks, Nico!