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The Humours Of Westport reel

Also known as Col McBain, The Humors Of Westport, The Milestone At The Garden.

There are 51 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with The Clogger’s Quilt (a few times), The Bucks Of Oranmore (a few times), The Glass Of Beer (a few times), The Green Mountain (a few times) and Miss Langford’s (a few times).

The Humours Of Westport has been added to 246 tunebooks.

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Four settings

X: 1
T: The Humours Of Westport
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Fmaj
|f2 fe fcAc|f2 fe fage|f2 fe fcAc|BAGA Bcde|
f2 fe fcAc|f2 fe fagb|afge fcAc|BAGA BdcB|
|AFcF dFcF|AFcF BdcB|AFcF dFcF|BAGA BdcB|
AFcF dFcF|AFcF BdcB|Acfa gefc|BAGA Bcde|
X: 2
T: The Humours Of Westport
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Fmaj
||F2 cF dFcF|(3FFF cF BdcA|F2 cF dFcA|BAGA (3BAG cA|
|F2 cF dFcF|(3FFF cF BdcB|Acfa gecA|1 BAGA (3BAG cA:|2 BAGA (3BAG (3cde||
|~f3e fcAc|fAcf (3def ge|effe fcAc|BAGA (3BAG ce|
||~f3e fcAc|fAcf (3def ge|agfe fcAc|BAGA (3BAG ce|
|effe fgef|(3fff ef efge|effe fcAc|BAGA (3BAG cA|
|Ff (3fff FfAf|(3FFF Af [Bf]3 ^g|agfe fcAc|BAGA (3BAG cA||
X: 3
T: The Humours Of Westport
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Fmaj
|AFcF dFcF|AFcF BdcB|AFcF dFcF|BAGA BdcB|
AFcF dFcF|AFcF BdcB|Acfa gefc|BAGA Bcde||
|f2 fe fcAc|f2 cf efge|f2 fe fcAc|BAGA Bcde|
f2 fe fcAc|f2 cf efg2|afge fcAc|BAGA BdcB||
X: 4
T: The Humours Of Westport
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
BGdG eGdG|BGdG cedc|BGdG eGdG|cBAB cedc|
BGdG eGdG|BGdG cedc|Bdgb afgd|cBAB cdef||
|g2 gf gdBd|g2 dg fgaf|g2 gf gdBd|cBAB cdef|
g2 gf gdBd|g2 dg fga2|bgaf gdBd|cBAB cedc||

Thirteen comments

Now here’s something you don’t see every day: a reel in the key of F and a fine reel it is.

If you’re really uncomfortable with playing this tune in F you could transpose it up to G, but then you’re going to have to stretch as far as the high C note.

The F note that opens the tune and recurs in the first part can be played as a roll or as triplet (FGF or FAF).

Hooray for Brother Steve, who identified this tune in a set by the Bradley Bros. for me. Liam and Anthony play this set as follows:

Beare Island Reel (2x)
Humors of Westport (2x, B first, then A)
Seany Dorris (3x)
Humors of Westport (1 B and 1 A)

A really mighty set, and a helluva lot of fun to play (and to dance to!).

Their setting of this tune is very similar to Jeremy’s, as in:

||F2 cF dFcF|(3FFF cF BdcA|F2 cF dFcA|BAGA (3BAG cA|
|F2 cF dFcF|(3FFF cF BdcB|Acfa gecA|1 BAGA (3BAG cA:|2 BAGA (3BAG (3cde||
|~f3e fcAc|fAcf (3def ge|effe fcAc|BAGA (3BAG ce|
||~f3e fcAc|fAcf (3def ge|agfe fcAc|BAGA (3BAG ce|
|effe fgef|(3fff ef efge|effe fcAc|BAGA (3BAG cA|
|Ff (3fff FfAf|(3FFF Af [Bf]3 ^g|agfe fcAc|BAGA (3BAG cA||

The Humours Of Westport

I was tought this tune by the famous fiddler Bruce McGregor. He called it "The Clyde-Side Lasies" and played the parts the other way round. I have recently found out that it can also be known as "Col McBain, so what is its proper bloody name!!!

The closest relative of this tune is the Clydesdale (or Clydeside) Lasses, which is played with the parts the other way round and has been in print in Scotland from at least 1800; Colonel MacBain is quite a different tune

A subversive suggestion?

change the flat to 2# (f and c) and see if you like it in scubadiving on the Altiplano type of Bminor mode. (or is it F# caddys fly phrygian?)

The Humours of Westport

This is on the second track of Ben Lennon’s "Dog Big and Dog Little" CD. The band reverses the order of the A and B parts, to advantage, imho. Try it.

The B part sounds a bit like Pretty Peg.

AKA The Milestone at the Garden

Daley’s Reel

I hadn’t come across Daley’s reel played in that set (bosted by bogman) - sounds really good. Anyone got the music for it?

The Humours Of Westport, X:3

As learned from Jimmy Keane, and similar to the rendition by Nuala Kennedy (et al) on "Gone Dancing".

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