Willie Coleman’s jig

I don’t know too much about this tune - it isn’t played in my area although I’ve seen it listed in “common session tune lists”. I do find this tune a good easy one for the flute/whistle. I get a good kick out of it’s range & melody. Is this tune popular in anyone else’s neighborhood?

This is one of my favorite jigs, Brad, learned from the playing of Kevin Burke. It also goes by the name of Mice in the Cupboard. I’ve tried to introduce it at our local session a number of times, but no one else seems particularly interested. Perhaps my playing detracts from the tune’s natural grace, or maybe it just sounds more difficult than it actually is….

It gets played every week in Sydney. These days we usually follow it with The Rose In The Heather into Aaron’s Key.

Will & Brad, try this variation of the B part with some nice twists and turns and tasty C#s:
gGg edB|dgb age|fgg fdA|BGG Bdf|egg ed^c|dgb age|~d3 gdB|AGF G2

I use to play this variation in the B part, second time.

|~g3 edB|dgb age|~b3 age|dBd e2d|
|~g3 edB|dgb age|dBd gdB|AGF G3|

Appears on Chris Droney’s “Flowing Tide” as “The Moate Hunt” (track 10, second tune)

Sligo flute player, Sonny McDonough (RIP) told me he was sitting next to his good friend, Martin Wynne, at Willy Coleman’s funeral when they unveiled the tombstone with Willy Coleman’s jig engraved on it. He told me that Martin leaned over to Sonny and quietly said, “I wrote that tune actually.”

That sounds like a joke.

“Music from Ireland, Volume 1”
Dave Bulmer & Neil Sharpley
Page22, tune #59

X: 2
T: Willie Coleman’s
B: Bulmer & Sharpley, “Music from Ireland, Volume 1”
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
|: A |\
B2 G AGE | GED GBd | edB dgb | age dBA |
B2 G AGE | GED GBd | edB dBA | BGF G2 :|
|: d |\
gfg edB | dgb ag| gfg edB | GBd e2 f |
gfg edB | dgb age | d^cd gdB | AGF G2 :|

Willie Coleman was a fiddler from Kilavil, County Sligo, called Coleman Country as it was also the birthplace of the famous fiddler Michael Coleman. Willie was a member of the Glenview Ceili Band with local musicians Peter Horan, Fred Finn and Dick Brennan, among others. A story is told that at Coleman’s funeral fiddler Martin Wynne was in attendance, standing next to Sligo musician Sonny McDonagh when they unveiled Coleman’s headstone with “Willie Coleman’s Jig” on it. Wynne leaned over to Sonny and whispered, “I actually wrote that tune.”

The Fiddler’s Companion ~ Andrew Kuntz
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/WIA_WIM.htm#WILLIE_COLEMAN’S_JIG

That sounds like bull!

As I understand it, Willie wasn’t the ‘composer’ of this jig, but the one it honours. Maybe it is bull, but if you have another source, please offer it… It would be more constructive to do that than just to slander the information given…

I did forget the question mark… 😉

Sorry, I’m just joking. But telling bull is part of Irish culture, and you can’t trust the story without any other piece of evidence from difference sources.

“bull”, with regards to a headstone transcription ~ pretty unlikely…

~ at a funeral… It would take balls to lie about having composed the tune. But however you see it or choose to believe, it’s a good tune that has travelled well.

I just downloaded a nice version of Willie Coleman’s (/Foyne’s Jig) from her recording, “A Song in Turn.”

From Barrie Gledden/Michael McGoldrick 2002 CD “Celtic Melt”

Willie Coleman’s
https://thesession.org/tunes/476

Matt Malloy originally recorded this tune in 1984 on his self titled album. He provides a story as to the origin of this tune on the record below where he said Willie Clancy had sent it to him on a tape, claiming to have written it. He asked him to name it, to which Matt named it Willie Clancy’s.

Matt Molloy, John Carty & Arty McGlynn: Live, Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
https://thesession.org/recordings/3460

Martin could well have written it of course but it does just sound like a wonderful joke especially seeing it engraved on the headstone.

To begin with, Matt Molloy’s [ not “Malloy” ] “self-titled album” was released in 1976. not 1984. I no longer have the LP record, but in the insert to the “Matt Molloy” CD release, it states clearly that “ Matt got this first jig - [ ie - ”Willie Coleman’s“ - 1st tune on track 6 ] - from Willie Coleman who is a fiddle player from Carnaree, Co. Sligo”.
I don’t have the recording to which you refer to above, but the insert notes to “Pathway To The Well” have the following to say about “Willie Coleman’s” jig. “Willie Coleman, a well-loved fiddle player from Carnaree Co. Sligo composed this jig. He was a great source of tunes for a young Matt Molloy who was given the honour of titling this jig and after careful deliberation, came up with ”Willie Coleman’s". [ Track 12 ].
I find this surprising, as “Willie Coleman’s” jig was recorded 4 years before the Molloy solo album was recorded, by the players of “The Coleman Country Traditional Music Society”
[ or something similar - can’t recall the exact title ]. I suppose it is possible that Matt Molloy named it “Willie Coleman’s” before that recording was made.

I had the great pleasure of knowing Willie Coleman when i was young and I can absolutely confirm that he composed this tune.

I have always found this tune a bit weird and was wondering if the A part alters between 6/8 and 9/8?

B2G AGE GED | GBd edB | dgb afd cBA | B2G AGE GED | GBd edB | AGA BGF G3 ?

That’s where I find myself putting the emphasis when I play it and it just sounds funny played with standard 6/8 emphasis, maybe I learned it wrong?

would this be a good ceili band tune?

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

http://www.tradlessons.com/
Michael Eskin teaches the jig “Willie Coleman’s” on whistle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8amTdec_jI

play video

just wondering why they don’t just call it ‘willie colemans’
the tune has been around a long time but this re-titleling buisiness just seems to add yet more confusion to an already confusing genre…oh well…makes life more interesting i guess

This sounds a lot like Rose in the Heather actually.

Kevin Burke’s version, I found it on youtube. It’s the second tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEUbhD1D9Eo

play video

I added as an alternate name “The Castle Bay” as it is under that name that Kevin O’Loughlin recorded it on his “The Pride of Fermanagh” album.
Strangely, there is already a “Castleray” alternate name. Which one is an alteration of the other ?

On the album “The Best of Aly (Bain) and Phil (Cunningham), this tune is labeled “Michael Coleman’s Jig.” Can anyone explain?

A mistake ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvzO0shII7A

play video

There is/was a great set on YouTube but I can’t find it. Shores of Lough Gowna & Willie Coleman’s played by the then all-Ireland champions, the Allow Ceili Band. I’ll keep searching.

Back again! Here is the set. Not on YouTube but on Comhaltas: https://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_235_4_allow_ceili_band_jigs_at_the_2007_all_ireland/

I can’t remember where I first heard this tune. But it is already in the Tunepal database, so it may already exist on TheSession under another name. I’d be grateful if someone would point it out.

https://tunepal.org/index.html#!/tune/11345-102.abc-1-Old~Boys~Session%252C~The

I found one recording, and a good one:
By Michael McGoldrick
https://youtu.be/ZLQIN_JPFCU

play video

Willie Coleman’s - https://thesession.org/tunes/476