Mick O’Connor’s reel

I learned this from the Fisherstreet album recently (listed as Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part), though I have heard it in sessions from time to time. There’s something uplifting about it…
Also, on banjo and fiddle ( and presumably box as well) you can play the A part in the upper octave or the B part in the lower octave to keep yourself (if no one else) amused.

This tune somewhat reminds me of a nameless tune in this database: https://thesession.org/tunes/1498 Two tunes share a very similar first part though in different keys.I think “Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part” is the title given to a traditional jig, and probably not the correct title for this one. It’s probably Lunasa that popularised it in the sessions in U.S.

“slainte” - take a look again at the link, I’ve finally identified that particular tune - not the same as this one.

Yeah, two tunes are different, of course.

Need I mention, it was composed by legendary London banjo player, Mick O’Connor, who plays (almost) every monday at the Duke of York in Hanwell.

So here’s the way Sean Smyth plays it on Lunasa’s Redwood cd. Besides being played as a slow reel, the notes are substantially different from the setting posted by Patrick above. Sean’s also tuned up a half step to Eb, but I’ve transcribed it in the standard D fingering. If you want to play along to the cd, you’ll have to tune up a half step.

What really makes the Lunasa setting work is Donogh and Trevor’s backing--I like the descending minor bass line in the B part, which they do only one out of each four times through the part, against the |edBd edBA| phrase.

X: 1
T: Mick O’Connor’s
C: Mick O’Connor
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
D: Redwood, Lunasa
Z: Will Harmon
K: D
|A,B,DA, FD{G}ED|B,E F/E/D EFDB,|A,B,DE FABc|dBAF EFDB,|
|G,A,2 G FD{G}ED|B,E F/E/D EFDB,|A,B,DE FABc|dBAF EFDB,|
|G,A,2 G FD{G}ED|B,E{G}ED EFDB,|A,B,DE FABc|dBAF EFDB,|
|G,A,2 G FD{G}ED|B,E F/E/D EFDB,|A,B,DE FABc|dBAF EFDA||
|d2 fa f{a}fa|edBd edBA|defa defa|eAde fddc|
|{c}d2 fa f{a}fa|edBd e/e/dBA|d3 a {b}afaf|eAde fddc|
|{c}d2 fa f{a}fa|edBd edBA|defa defa|eAde fddc|
|{c}d2 fa f{a}fa|edBd edBA|~d3 a {b}afaf|eAde fdd2 ||

Thanks Will.

You’re welcome, Avery. I can listen to that track over and over all day.

Here’s a translation of a tab Mick wrote of his own tune and handed out at a recent banjo workshop. Of course Mick (in his inimitable style) would play the tune differently each time through anyway 🙂

X:1
T:Mick O’Connor’s
K:D
DB,||A,DDE F2ED|B,EED EFDB,|A,DDE FABc| dBAF EFDB,|
|A,DDE F2ED|B,EED EFDB,|A,DDE FABc|1 dBAF EFDB,:|2 dBAF EF (3ABc:|
d2fd adfd|edBA edBA|defa defd|e2de fddA|
d2fd adfd|edBA edBA|faab afdf|1 g2fd Beec:|2(3eee fe dB AF||

https://thesession.org/tunes/9237

Submitted on January 7th 2009 by kings taxes.

X: 1
T: Mick O’Connor’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Emin
A,B,DA, FD{G}ED|B,E F/E/D EFDB,|A,B,DE FABc|dBAF EFDB,|
G,A,2 G FD{G}ED|B,E F/E/D EFDB,|A,B,DE FABc|dBAF EFDB,|
G,A,2 G FD{G}ED|B,E{G}ED EFDB,|A,B,DE FABc|dBAF EFDB,|
G,A,2 G FD{G}ED|B,E F/E/D EFDB,|A,B,DE FABc|dBAF EFDA||
d2 fa fafa|edBd edBA|defa defa|eAde fddc|
{c}d2 fa fafa|edBd e/e/dBA|d3 a {b}afaf|eAde fddc|
{c}d2 fa fafa|edBd edBA|defa defa|eAde fddc|
{c}d2 fa fafa|edBd edBA|~d3 a {b}afaf|eAde fdd2 ||

Two additional arrangements, probably roughly after Lunasa’s version.

And in G major.

This is the tune MacDara plays on Ego Trip, but the link on the listing for that recording goes to a different tune with the same name, a common problem, I know. Is there a way to get the link to go to the correct tune?

Simple chord addition to setting #7 by m.r.kelahan.

There’s a 40 year old cassette recording made by Annie Russell of a session with Mick and a very young Frankie Gavin, on which Mick declares he calls this Mick O’Connor’s No.9 to make people think he had written nine tunes! Nice one Mick!

Here’s the composer playing it with Antoin MacGabhann (second tune, at 1 min 52):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyOLvoOCVmM

play video