Manus Lunny’s Terracotta Plower Pop jig

I think this is the tune that was being requested in Discussions this week - I apologise if it’s the wrong one. I’ve heard it played slightly differently from this version, but it’s not my transcription, so I didn’t tamper with it. Somebody, no doubt, has a proper name for it, and perhaps knows who wrote it …?

the tunes called ‘Manus Lunny’s Teracotta Plower Pot’, and the ‘P’ isnt a mistake. written by phil cunningham. think maybe the original version is in A, starting on low a on the g string. thats how people play it over here anyway.

a lovely Karen Tweedy tune, off the third Solas album (“The Words That Remain”).

oops. Karen Tweed, I mean. originally from the album “Across the Waters”. (?)

I wonder if that’s the Wark where my dad lived when he was a kid, or whether there’s another one…

I believe it’s in Northumberland and is where Kathryn Tickell lived. Karen used to play in her band when she composed this tune.

John

Does this remind anybody else about a tune referred to as “Theme from the BBC series Para Handy”? Filska recorded it as far as I know…..

I never knew Kathryn Tickell was from Wark. My dad lived in Wark Common. I’ll have to learn this tune, it’s a nice one.

Also to be found on ’Chantoozies" by the Poozies.

Right. Tweed is/was (?) a member of the Poozies, along with the ladies from Sileas.

I always thought that this was a surpassingly odd tune but I always liked it. Thanks for the post.

This is by PHIL CUNNINGHAM, not karen tweed or kathyrn tickell. Its acutally called Manus Lunnys Terracotta plowerpot, but is mostly known as the Para handy jig, as in phil wrote it for the theme tune of para handy

https://thesession.org/tunes/435

https://thesession.org/tunes/2219

Submitted on April 22nd 2006 by patrick cavanagh.

https://thesession.org/tunes/5693

What kind of an imposter is this?

Check out the original & best Para Handy theme tune to the Vital Spark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa48WOgb3mI

play video

A Hornpipe of course, so much more appropriate for a prog with a maritime theme, don’t you think!

Cheers
Dick

Listen to this tune on Aly Bain & Phil Cunninghams cd "Roads not travelled.!!!!!!!!

Its unreal. XoX

theme tunes should be written down with tall bars and safely kept behind them.

Hi..
Phil Cunningham here.
The tune is called “Manus Lunny’s terracotta Plower Pop.”
I wrote it a long time ago for an album project for Connie Dover.
I then reworked it and used it as the Theme to BBC Scotland’s remake of the series. It’s written in the key of G.. to facilitate the Irish pipes which I used on the original recording.

The version notated here is close.. but not quite! The real version will be available online soon!!

Looking forward to giving that a go. But until then, here’s me having a little fun with CMO’s transcription, who I’ve written and let know there’s a confirmed name and composer for this… Forgive me for my sins as I take the B-part up and about ~ for CMO ~

X: 2
T: Manus Lunny’s terracotta Plower Pop
C: Phil Cunningham
N: But me taking liberties in the meantime, under the influence of espresso
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
|: [Gc]/[FB]/[EA] |\
D[CE]D DEG | BGd BAG | GB/c/g edB | deg b2 a |
age ge/f/g | edB deg | age edB | dBA A :|
|: A/B/c |\
df/e/d A2 B | cBA BGe | df/e/d A2 f | ga/g/f gg/f/e |
dd/d/d a2 b | c‘ba bge | gc’/b/a ge/d/a | dd/d/d d :|

Thanks for the info, Phil - and for the tune.

My apologies for posting a dud setting. I was young and foolish at the time and thought that, since it was a setting I found in an online collection (which I should have credited but didn’t - I can’t remember where I got it from now) that it must be correct, despite sounding wrong to me. Unfortunately, the sheet music is engraved like an epitaph.

But you might be interested (and tickled, I hope) to know that someone has used a recording of you and Aly Bain, playing a set of tunes including this one, as the soundtrack to a slide show of their holiday snaps, which they have posted on YouTube. I have made a few amendments to the abc text, based on this recording. I hope it is correct now.

C.M.O. ~ ‘Organic’ includes adaptation… 😀

The last time I heard this tune was on a boom box providing music for a slew of young Irish step dancers in those heavy OTT costumes with the bold embroidery and bright colours and those springy blond wigs… I have to admit, it has coloured my notion of this tune… 😛 I just can’t shake the image and the canned sound of a cheap boom box in a crowded church hall, as they lept around like Zebedde from Magic Roundabout, repeatedly kickin’ themselves in the a*s…

I’ve added their recording of this for you C.M.O. But, in addition, while it’s there, here’s a YouTube compression of track 1 of that recording, with this tune being the third in the set:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueqFgQ_kW_4

play video

This tune is just after the pause at 2:00…

Submitted on December 14th 2001 by CreadurMawnOrganig.
https://thesession.org/tunes/435

The recording is already here ~ because of the track listings it didn’t show. I’ve written Ptarmigan to update the titles so they will link to the entries on site here, then I’ll get Jeremy to axe my duplicated entry… For now I’ll add his shortened version of the title to the list so that link will at least be made…

Submitted on August 8th 2006 by Ptarmigan.
https://thesession.org/recordings/2137

http://www.philcunningham.com/

http://www.philcunningham.com/

I’ve realised the title refers to Wark on Tyne, not Wark on Tweed.

I’ve changed the original title to this, as it is undoubtedly Phil Cunningham’s tune as mentioned above. It’s played as the second tune in a set on the “Across The Waters” recording. The original poster got the titles of the first and second tunes confused. The first tune - “Waking Up In Wonderful Wark” - has been posted here already under its’ correct title.

Why “plower”??

You often get slurred speech after one pint too many. I believe that was the case here. “Flower pot” became something sounding roughly like “Plower Pop”.

Aha thank you