The Crock Of Gold reel

I’ve seen this listed as being written by Vincent Broderick, I know he’s a flute player but I don’t know much else about him except that I like the tunes I’ve heard he’s written. Does anybody know anything about Vincent Broderick?

I found this description with a book of his music sold in www.thewhistleshop.com:

"All-Ireland Champion and Oireachtas winner, Vincent Broderick is one of the greats of Irish traditional music. His name established by legendary, ‘round-the-clock sessions at the Pipers’ Club and the ’50s Fleadhs, he is famous as well for the variety and invention of his own compositions, now central to the repertoire of many traditional musicians."

Vincent Broderick of Kilreekle is also known as a great piper as well as a fluter. He comes from a very large family, and his nephew, Pat Broderick (owner of Cregg Castle, http://indigo.ie/%7Ecreggcas/) is considered by many to be his piping successor. Vincent deserves much more recognition than he’s gotten in the past, but there you are, there’s many a farmer or secretary or janitor who’s a wonderful player that no one’s ever heard except at their local pub session.

Zina

I have played this tune for years and I always knew it as John Joe McGuires reel.
Good Luck
Mike Allen

this is also on So Far by Eileen Ivers.

Not sure about the original version of this as I don’t have a copy of the Turoe Stone to hand, but in our session the first couple of bars are different to the posted version: |eaag a2ga|baga bagf|g… I think the original posting is the setting a lot of people have learnt from Kevin Crawford’s playing on Lunasa’s "Otherworld".

The first couple of bars ~ since it is the B-part you’re on about, for comparison below, #1 is Josh Kane’s, #2 is Nox’s (isn’t that a soup, or a boullion cube?), and #3 is "BY-THE-BOOK" ;-) :

1.) |: ea a2 bage | a2 ba gede | gedB GABd | ~
2.) |: eaag a2 ga | baga bagf | g… ~
3.) | eaaa a2 ga | a2 ga bage | gedB G2 Bd | gedB BA A2 | ~ & it’s a single reel!!!

Walton Music Inc.
ISBN: 1-85720-061-6

Page 28: "The Crock of Gold" ~ single reel, 16 measures

Page 4: "VINCENT BRODERICK was born in Carramore, Bullaun, Loughrea, Co. Galway in 1920. One of seven children, both himself and his brother Peter were to become interested in traditional Irish music at an early age, mainly under the influence of their mother Ann. By their early twenties Vincent and Peter were to become accomplished traditional musicians (the flute) and were to follow the example set for them by the musicians of ‘The Ballinakill and Aughrim Slopes Ceili Band.’" ~ they also played regularly together for events and dances in their community…

I learned a really nice version of the tune from John Blake and Lamond Gillespie’s duet playing on their "Traditional Irish Music from London" CD.

K: Gmaj
B2dB cAGE|~G3A GEDB,|DEGA BAGA|B2dB cAFA|
B2dB cAGE|GBAF GED2|g2fg egdB|DEGA BG~G2:|
ea~a2 bagb|agef gede|gedB GABd|egdB BA~A2|
ea~a2 bagb|agef gede|g2fg egdB|DEGA BG~G2:|

Not sure if it’s really a standard version in London, but it’s definitely the best one I’ve ever come across. John Blake plays another version, which is close to the original, on Teada’s first album.

And they play it with the repeats in both cases? It works either way…

Yeah. I’ve never heard it played as single.

Your too young… ;-)

I meant to write ~ "you’re"… :-/

makes a good small pipe tume if you cheat a bit!

Here is a set of reels from Cruinniú, recorded at the Nyah Festival in Cavan in March 2007. The first two reels, composed by Vincent Broderick, are “The Milky Way” and “The Crock of Gold." The third reel is “The Green Mountain”.

http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_246_1_cruinniu

Here’s a version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv45vnQaUaQ

play video

(third tune)

For what it’s worth, while the Turoe Stone book definitely gives Crock of Gold as 16 bars without repeats, I just listened to a recording of Broderick playing the tune, and he repeated both parts.

3rd tune @ 2m10s : https://youtu.be/rFQkzi3WR68

play video