Gráinne’s jig

A Tommy Peoples composition and one of my favorite jigs.

Djeanta’s version on their Ready for the Storm cd uses c sharps in the fourth measures of the B part ( |ed^c d2 =c| ) and C part ( |fd^c def| ).

Leave it to master Tommy Peoples to compose a fiddle tune where it feels as though every note is on a different string…. 🙂

I’ve heard many settings of this tune. The one I posted is from an album by Dolores Keane & John Faulkner titled “Broken Hearted I’ll Wander.” By the way, the rhythym of the first four notes in the sixth bar of the first part should look like the first four notes in the fifth bar of the first part. I’ll see if I can fix that.

Looks very like “Grainne’s Jig” composed by Tommy Peoples but I’m not fully sure of this until Jeremy puts up the dots! This is one of the best jigs of all time!

I’d have to agree that this is Grainne’s Jig by TommyP. And likewise, ‘Bannerman’, I would have to say this is one of my favourite jigs of all time.
See abc file from Norbeck - id = hn jig 284

I recorded this at a session and was told that it was composed by the fiddler Sean Nugent,and named for the poet Felix Kearney.

Thanks O’Dono for confirmation on the title. It’s included on Tommy’s CD “The Quiet Glen” (see http://homepage.tinet.ie/~logo/track.htm#t10) where he states that he named it after his youngest daughter. I originally got it from his “Fifty Irish Fiddle Tunes” book and accompanying tape many years ago - I believe Comhaltas still hold some of these in Monkstown. In deference to Tommy it would be nice to re-title this jig if possible.

I’ve re-titled it.

Go raibh m

It just goes to show that you can’t always rely on what people tell you at sessions.

Here’s a version I learned that was referred to for a long time as simply, “that great three-part jig with all the accidentals that goes like this…” Will Harmon identified it for me and suggested I post it. Here ‘tis:

X:1
T: Graine’s Jig
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Ador
Bc |: dGF GDB, | G,A,G, B,DD | EcB ABG | FED cBA|
B/2c/2dB GAG | E/2F/2GE CEG | DFd cAF |1 AGF G2 B/2c/2 :|2 AGF G2 A|
|: BAB Ggf | ecA E3 | DFA f2 f | ed^c d2 =c |
B/2c/2dB Ggf | ecA E3 | DFd cAF |1 AGF G2 A :|2 AGF G2 D |
| GBd g3 | ecB c2 B | a^ce a2 g | fd^c def |
gdB Ggf | ecA E3 | DFd cAF |1 AGF G2 D :|2 AGF G3 |

K: G Major
|: B/c/ |
dGF GDB | GAG GDB | EcB A2 G | FED cBA |
B/c/dB GFG | E/F/GE cEG | DGc BDF | AGF G2 :|
|: A |
|: B^AB Ggf | eBc ADE | F^EF fef | ed^c d2 =c |
B/c/dB Ggf | ecA E3 | DGc BDF | AGF G2 :|
|: D |
GB/c/d gfg | ecB c2 B | a^ce a2 g | fd^c d2 f |
gdB Ggf | ecA E2 c | DGc BDF | AGF G2 :|

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on August 29th 2003 by dafydd.
https://thesession.org/tunes/2437

The following was brought back to here for comparison ~
Dafydd’s transcript minus the chords:

K: G Major
|: B |
dGF GDB, | G,2G, DB,D | EcB ABG | FED cBA |
BdB ~G3 | EGE CEG | DGc BEF | AGF G2 :|
|: A |
~B3 Ggf | ecA E2E | DFA ~f3 | ed^c d2=c |
BdB Ggf | ecA ~E3 | DGc BEF | AGF G2 :|
|: D |
GBd ~g3 | ecB c2B | A^ce a2g | fd^c def |
gdB Ggf | ecA ~E3 | DGc BEF | AGF G2 :|

Now here’s a wee dilemma. This jig is generally credited to Tommy Peoples, and indeed that was the name given to the tune when Kieran Crehan played it on the first LP recording by “The Reel Union” ,“Broken Hearted I’ll Wander”. It later became known as “Graine’s” jig, composed, allegedly, by Tommy Peoples. [ see above ].
The problem is this - Joe Derrane plays the first two parts of this jig on his “Return To Inis Mor” CD, and claims he wrote it in the 1950s.
According to the sleeve notes : “Back in the early to middle 1950s, I wrote the first jig on piano-accordion. Although untitled and never officially recorded, it was taped at a few local house parties and sessions. Imagine my surprise then, when I visited the home of “Moving Cloud” fiddler Manus Maguire in Scarriff, East Clare, popped a dub of this album into his tape deck , and heard him and Maeve Donnelly humming along to what they called “a great old jig”. Now named “Papa’s Joy”, it’s for my grandchildren : Ashley, Joey, Matthew and Robbie”.

So, who did compose it ? I do not believe that Peoples would ever deliberately claim composition of a tune he didn’t write, but is it possible that he inadvertently remembered Joe’s tune [ composed - allegedly - in the 1950s, remember ], and added a third part ?

I think this clip by Mick Foster i found on YouTube deserves some recognition for his version of Grainne’s jig by Tommy Peoples. I know people slag piano accordion players on here (I play a button) but this i think is good for his ornaments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmioED4gGNA

play video

By the way this link is just audio.

Came across these ones as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YzdZXWcLho&feature=related

play video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcIFI3VS4p8&feature=related

play video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9g2rdZ0bdY&feature=related

play video

The accordion is a bit wet for my tastes.
And the accordion is in need of tuning.

I saw Mick Foster playing at the Tullamore Fleadh, and he was playing the same accordion as is featured on the audio track. Trouble with his accordion is, it sounds like the accordion used to sound before so called experts started fecking about with the reeds and turned most of them into concertinas. I bet a man of his experience and playing abilites would love to hear that his accordion is out of tune……I wonder what his answer would be????????

I thought the high “A” was out of tune. It sounded that way to me, at any rate.
The “wet” or “dry” is a matter of personal taste. I was not suggesting that all accordions should be re-tuned dry. Whether or not I think it’s a good idea, that was not what I implied. Sorry you took it that way.

I transcribed this from the TG4 documentary of Tommy Peoples entitled “ ’Se Mo Laoch” (“He Is My Hero”). Here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hebBrG8cLbs

play video

The actual clip is in part 2, (but everybody should watch the whole thing: absolutely beautifully done piece!) in it Tommy plays the tune with Antoin Mac Gabhann. Here’s the ABC’s:

X:1
T:Grainne’s Jig
C:Tommy Peoples
S:TG4 documentary of Tommy Peoples-“ ’Se Mo Laoch”(“He Is My Hero”)
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Jig
K:G
Bc|:dBF GDB,|G,3 DB,D|EcB (A{B}A)G|FED cBA|
(B/c/dB) ~G3|(E/F/GE) CEG|DGc BDF|1 AGF GBc:|2
AGF G2 A||:(B/d/BA) Ggf|eBc ADE|~F3 ~f3|
ed^c ({e}d/c/d) =c|(B/c/d)B Ggf|ecA ~E3|DGc BDF|1
AGF G2 A:|2 AGF G2 D||:GBd ~g3|edB cBA|
(B/c/d)B a2 g|fd^c def|gdB Ggf|ecA ~E3|
DGc BDF|1 AGF G2 D:|2 AGF GBc ||

Enjoy!

-Jay

Tommy People is a genius, we’ll forgive him this one! A jig so bad it deserves to be a hornpipe. Sorry People!

Pay attention to the second part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcjJvnh-6e0

play video

X

Who’s Graham Townsend? The info on this video says he composed Grainne’s Jig and not Tommy Peoples.
I’m not sure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOaDDV7sVGw

play video

(Late) Canadian fiddler, composer (see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Townsend )

This is one of my favourite jigs in C:
https://thesession.org/tunes/1575#setting14984

Graham Townsend doesn’t say that he composed “Grainne’s Jig”. He clearly credits it to Tommy Peoples. The person who wrote the “info” notes accompanying the clip has got that wrong, and I’ll correct him / her.

Joe Derrane plays gbB G3 for the opening bar, along with a ton of Derrane triplets and graces and whatnot of course. Starting on high g is what jumps out about his version.

The 3rd part Tommy tacked on always remind me a bit of Scott Skinner’s Rosewood jig, same kind of implied modulation to the maj II chord.

This is from the Dezi Donnelly recording, Familiar Footsteps.

https://www.facebook.com/gabrielflutes/videos/2995848383783119/

What a good tune - and chords are extremely pleasing (x:10).

Based on Tommy People’s playing on his Quiet Glen CD. I first noticed this tune (as Tommy Peoples’) in Bulmer and Sharpley’s first publication, and I wrote it off as an over-complicated tune, totally unsuited to a whistle. Probably heard it played on the Dolores Keane LP. I now think it, and this setting and playing in particular, wonderful!
This setting dates from 1993 and has some beautiful detail that sets it apart from all other settings (including TP’s duet with Antoin Mac Gabhann posted by jaychoons, X:6). It also differs from Tommy’s version in his instructional booklet and tape (https://thesession.org/recordings/1099)

I have often felt that a newly composed tune that is launched into the folk music scene becomes subjected to the “folk process” which can mean it sinks or floats, but usually gets some of its sharper edges knocked off by it (be that by “Chinese whispers” or adaptation). The resulting strain may then be more popular than the original. The Session probably accelerates this process but maybe channels it down more rigid channels - different settings often seem variations on one already posted. I feel it is sometimes useful to go back and listen to (or play) versions closer to the composer’s.
This setting is not an exact transcription (lacking decorations/embellishments) but, I hope, it catches some of the phrases others lack and might mean some musicians go back to listen to Tommy playing it. Differences worth noting are bar 6 of part 2 (DFA instead of E3), bars 5 and 6 of part 1 and bar 4 of part3. The DFA sequence (bar2.6) turns up in his instructional booklet but in none of the settings on The Session, not even X:6, suggesting TP bowed to the folk process on that occasion! It would also seem that this version may have been his later (1993) interpretation of his 1986 setting.
I now reckon it is suitable for the (English) concertina but I have found no way of imitating that marvellous, lonesome E at the end of the 6th bar of the third part!