The Five Mile Chase reel

Also known as Ballyvaughan, Corporal Casey’s Fancy, Corporal Casey’s Favourite, The Five-Mile Chase, The Five-Mile Heat, Four Hand, The Four Hand, The Four-handed, Lady Gardner’s, Lady Gardner’s Troops, Parnell’s, The Wild Fire Chase.

There are 76 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The Five Mile Chase appears in 4 other tune collections.

The Five Mile Chase has been added to 28 tune sets.

The Five Mile Chase has been added to 254 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Nine settings

1
X: 1
T: The Five Mile Chase
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:G2BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2BG dGBd|egfa gedB|
G2BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2BG dGBd|egfa g3B:|
|:gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd|gabg fgaf|gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd|
gabf g3f|gabg fgaf|e3d BABd|e3f edBd|edfd gedf:|
2
X: 2
T: The Five Mile Chase
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:G2 ((3BAG) dG ((3BAG)|FADA FADA|G2BG dG ((3BAG)|gbab gedB|
G2((3BAG) dG ((3BAG)|FDAD BDAD|G2((3BAG) dG ((3BAG)|1 gba{bd'}b g3d:|2 gba{bd'}b g3G||
|:G2 ((3Bcd) ed ((3Bcd)|gd ((3Bcd) gdad|gd ((3Bcd) ed ((3Bcd)|gba{bd'}b g3b|
gbag ((3efg) eg|d2dB dBAB|d2de {ef}edBd|1 ((3efg) fa g3G:|2 (3efg fa g3||
3
X: 3
T: The Five Mile Chase
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:G2 BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2 BG dGBd|1 egfa gedB:|2 egfa g3 B||
G2BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2BG dGBd|egfa g3B:|
gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd|gabg fgaf|gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd|gabf g3 f|
gabg fgaf|e3 d BABd|e3 f edBd|edfd gedB||
4
X: 4
T: The Five Mile Chase
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:G2 BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2 BG dGBd|1 egfa gedB:|2 egfa g3 B||
gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd|gabg fgaf|gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd|gabf g3 f|
gabg fgaf|e3 d BABd|e3 f edBd|edfd gedB||
5
X: 5
T: The Five Mile Chase
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:G2BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2BG dGBd|egfa gedB|
G2BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2BG dGBd|egfa g2 gf:|
|:gdBd edBd|gabg agef|gdBd edBd|egfa g3f|
gabg efge|dedc BGBd|efed edBd|egfa gedB:|
6
X: 6
T: The Five Mile Chase
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
(3DEF|TG2 BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2 BG dGBd|egfa gedB|
G2 BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2 BG dcBd|egfa g2||
(3def|gdBd edBd|gdBd Te2 ef|gdBd edBd|egfa g3 d|
gabg efge|dedc BGBd|Tedef edBd|egfa gedB||
G2 BG dcBG|(3FED AD BDAD|G2 BG dcBd|egfa gedB|
G2 BG dcBG|(3FED AD BDAD|G2 BG dcBd|egfa g2||
(3def|Tg2 gf gdBd|faag fdef|Tg2 gf gdBd|(3efg af g3 d|
gabg efge|dedc BGBd|Tedef edBd|(3efg af gedB||
# Added by Moxhe .
7
X: 7
T: The Five Mile Chase
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:G2 (3BAG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2 (3BAG dGBd|egfa gedB|
G2 (3BAG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2 (3BAG dGBd|egfa g2 gf:|
|:gdBd edBd|gabg agef|gdBd edBd|egfa g3f|
gabg efge|dedc BGBd|e3d ed (3Bcd|egfa gedB:|
# Added by JACKB .
8
X: 8
T: The Five Mile Chase
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:~G3B d2BG|FADA FADA|~G3B d2 (3Bcd|1 egfa gedB:|2 egfa g2 z2||
gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd|gabg agef|gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd|egfa g3 f|
eaag efge|dedc BG (3Bcd|egfd ed (3Bcd|egfa gedB||
9
X: 9
T: The Five Mile Chase
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:G3B d2BG|FADA FADA|G2 (3BAG dG (3Bcd|egfa gedB|
G3B d2 (3Bcd|FADA FADA|G2 (3BAG dG (3Bcd|egfa g2 gf:|
|:gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd|gabg agef|gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd|egfa g3f|
gabg efge|dedc BG (3Bcd|e3d ed (3Bcd|egfa gedB:|
# Added by JACKB .

Ten comments

Sets

My father and uncle. fiddle and flute player from Kenilworth, Ontario, play this tune in a set beginning with the Daisy Field, then the Mountain Top, then the Five Mile Chase.

A very old tune - it is printed in Howe’s 1000 Jigs and Reels, which is now available in reprint from Mel Bay, edited by Pat Sky - some of the tunes in this book (which, like the later Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, was compiled and printed in Boston in the mid-late 19th century) have instructions for dancers, and the one for this tune starts out with this interesting comment:

“The Scotch are indefatigable when dancing this Reel; they seem almost intoxicated with it - they snap their fingers -- throw their arms and feet in the air -- screech out - and make such quick, and difficult steps, that the eyes have trouble following them.”

Paddy Murphy’s Setting of Five Mile Chase

X: 1
T: Five Mile Chase, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
S: Paddy Murphy
D: In Good Hands
Z: Daniel Bradbury
K: Gmaj
|:G2 ((3BAG) dG ((3BAG)|FADA FADA|G2BG dG ((3BAG)|gbab gedB|
G2((3BAG) dG ((3BAG)|FDAD BDAD|G2((3BAG) dG ((3BAG)|1gba{bd‘}b g3d:|2gba{bd’}b g3G||
|:G2 ((3Bcd) ed ((3Bcd)|gd ((3Bcd) gdad|gd ((3Bcd) ed ((3Bcd)|gba{bd’}b g3b|
gbag ((3efg) eg|d2dB dBAB|d2de {ef}edBd|1((3efg) fa g3G:|2(3efg fa g3||

I presume this tune and the Hare’s Paw are from same family. Striking similarity.

Posted .

More titles

This tune appears no fewer than three times in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (c. 1886), under the titles Lady Gardner’s Reel, Parnell’s Reel, and Corporal Casey’s Fancy. Also appears in the Roche Collection (c. 1926) as The Wild Fire Chase. Evidently a very popular tune!

Posted by .

“The Five Mile Chase” ~ is generally played as a ‘single reel’

I’ll add another transcription later, but to adjust the existing one, which is a little odd from the start ~

X: 1
T: Five Mile Chase, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|: G2 BG dGBG | FADA FADA | G2 BG dGBd |[1 egfa gedB :|[2 egfa g3 B ||
G2BG dGBG | FADA FADA | G2BG dGBd | egfa g3B :|
gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd | gabg fgaf | gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd |gabf g3 f |
gabg fgaf | e3 d BABd | e3 f edBd | edfd gedB |]

It also makes a decent highland fling…

OOPS!!! I’d deleted that line. I think the gremlins in this computer have it in for me… Here goes again, ignore the previous ~

X: 1
T: Five Mile Chase, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|: G2 BG dGBG | FADA FADA | G2 BG dGBd |[1 egfa gedB :|[2 egfa g3 B ||
gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd | gabg fgaf | gd (3Bcd ed (3Bcd |gabf g3 f |
gabg fgaf | e3 d BABd | e3 f edBd | edfd gedB |]

Give it some swing and it’ll make for a nice fling…

Five Mile Chase

Yet another setting ….
This has a nice version of the B part.

X: 1
T: The Five Mile Chase
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|: G2BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2BG dGBd|egfa gedB |
G2BG dGBG|FADA FADA|G2BG dGBd|egfa g2 gf:|
|:gdBd edBd|gabg agef|gdBd edBd|egfa g3f|
gabg efge|dedc BGBd|efed edBd|egfa gedB:|

The Five Mile Chase, X:6

This setting appears in O’Neill’s Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, 1922, no. 207, as Four-Hand Reel.

Posted by .