The Ballyoran hornpipe

There is a more known tune, called “The Wonder”, but in Central Connecticut where I attend sessions, this “The Wonder” is a lot more known. We play this after another hornpipe, “Fairy Queen.” Does anyone know the background of this tune? I would love to know!

Atsushi, This tune was already posted back in Oct, if you look it up you can read the comments i posted about it.

This is a strange setting, I think your tune changed names somewhere along the line. “The Wonder” that I’ve always heard is the other setting submitted by Joerg.

Looking at this tune I think it is actually a hornpipe called the Ballyoran (composed by Sean Ryan?).
Mick O’ Brien recorded it on the Flags of Dublin LP from 1979.

Regards

John

Yes, it was composed by Sean Ryan.

The person who taught it to me told me that this tune was submitted to a tune competition (is there such a thing at the All-Ireland?) in the same year as Father Kelly submitted “Father Kelly’s” reel. The “Ballyoran Hornpipe” won, “Father Kelly’s” came in second.

There is a Wonder Hornpipe posted here, which has the name ‘Ballyoran Hornpipe’ in brackets after it, but it sounds like a Reel to me.

Although, one may well have come from the other.

This ‘Hornpipe version’ I got from Gay McKeon’s tape ‘Irish Piping Tradition’ where he says: “The Ballyoran Hornpipe was sourced from my brother’s manuscript of Leo Rowsome tunes.”

This tune was composed by Sean Ryan.

“The Hidden Ireland:
The First Selection of Irish Traditional Compositions of Seán Ryan”
Compiled by Brian Ryan

Page 12: “The Ballyoran Hornpipe”
~ another take on the tune… 😉

I think this would make a better reel than hornpipe, with a couple of very minor changes. As a hornpipe, it leaves me cold, unlike most of Sean Ryan’s other tunes.

Watch the Tribes Céilí Band play this hornpipe:
http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_235_5_the_tribes_ceili_band_hornpipe_from_the_2007_all_irelan

This setting is approximtely as I learned it (almost 20 years ago) in a whistle class with Peter Phelan.

And here’s a setting with Roger Burridge, R.I.P., on fiddle

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EdXC2dMf8Oo

play video

All the best
Brian x