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The Dublin Lads reel

Also known as Three Drops Of Brandy.

There are 18 recordings of this tune.

The Dublin Lads appears in 2 other tune collections.

The Dublin Lads has been added to 3 tune sets.

The Dublin Lads has been added to 54 tunebooks.

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Three settings

1
X: 1
T: The Dublin Lads
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
g3 d BG G2|ABcA DFAd|gfgd Bcde|1 fdcA GABd:|2 fdcA G3 c||
BGAF DEFE|F2 df ecdc|BGAF DFeg|fdcA G3 c:|2 fdcA GABc||
dg g2 dg g2|dffe fgfe|dg g2 d^cde|fdcA GABc|
dg g2 dg g2|dffe fgfe|defg a2 ag|fdcA G4:|
# Added by Kenny .
2
X: 2
T: The Dublin Lads
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
g3d BG G2|ABcA DFAd|g3d Bcde|fdcA GABd|
g3d BG G2|AB (3cBA DFAd|g3d Bcde|fdcA G4||
c|BGAF DFEG|F2 eg fdcA|BGAF DFeg|fdcA G3c|
BGAF DFEG|F2 eg fdcA|BGAF DFeg|fdcA GABc||
dg g2 dg g2|dffe f3e|dg g2 d^cde|fdcA GABc|
dg g2 dg g2|dffe f3e|defg abag|fdcA GABd||
# Added by JACKB .
3
X: 3
T: The Dublin Lads
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:~g3d BG~G2|ABcA DFAd|~g3d Bcde|1 fdcA GABd:|2 fdcA ~G3c||
|:BGAF DEFE|~F2df ecdc|BGAF Dfeg|1 fdcA ~G3c:|2 fdcA GABc||
|:dg~g2 dg~g2|dffe fgfe|1 dg~g2 d^cde|fdcA GABc:|2 defg ~a3g|fdcA GABd||

Twelve comments

Dublin Lads

This is in Pat Mitchell’s book of Willie Clancy’s tunes, but I didn’t start playing it until I heard piper Tommy Keane playing it on a recording, the only time I’ve ever heard it played. Closely related to the “Colonel Fraser/West Wind” family of piping reels in G, it makes a great flute and whistle tune.

Posted by .

Anyone wishing to hear Pat Mitchell’s playing should watch out for his old LP on - Topic ‘Pat Mitchell Uilleann Pipes’ - ‘stereo’ 12TS294. (1976)

This was one of the first Piping LPs I bought after hearing Planxty & I still enjoy it.
There are some lovely tunes on it & just a nice feel & ambience to the whole thing.

A plus is that it is solo piping, so no Greek Stringy things or African bangy things to spoil the sound - simply piping!

A word of warning! I have heard ‘self proclaimed’ so called, piping experts PO Poing this recording, saying that his technique isn’t the best?
Well, not being a piper I am not qualified to comment. All I can say is that I’ve been listening to, & enjoying, this LP for nearly thirty years, so that must count for something!

Unfortunately The Dublin Lads isn’t on this LP, but if it’s good enough for Willie Clancy & Pat Mitchell - it’s good enough for me!

Thanks for this tune Kenny.

Anyone know if this LP has been released on CD?

I know you can also hear Willie Clancy play ‘The West Wind’ on the LP - ‘The Piping of Willie Clancy’ - Vol 1 on Claddagh CC32.

Surely this is now on CD?

Don’t think so.

I have not - they’re different tunes.

Posted by .

Naming of the Tune

Maeve Donnelly and Peadar O‘Loughlin recorded “Hold the Reins” as “The Dublin Lads.” In the sleeve notes Pat Mitchell doesn’t comment if the two tunes are related or completely different, but provides the information about the naming of the tune: “I named The Dublin Lads. After recording Willie Clancy playing it I asked him for the title: ’I don’t know what it’s called, I got it from the Dublin lads’.”

My Version

X: 1
T: Dublin Lads, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|:g3d BG G2 | ABcA DFAd | g3d Bcde |fdcA GABd |
g3d BG G2 | AB (3cBA DFAd |g3d Bcde |fdcA G4 ||
|:c|BGAF DFEG | F2 eg fdcA | BGAF DFeg | fdcA G3c |
BGAF DFEG | F2 eg fdcA | BGAF DFeg | fdcA GABc ||
|:dg g2 dg g2 | dffe f3e | dg g2 d^cde | fdcA GABc |
dg g2 dg g2 | dffe f3e | defg abag | fdcA GABd ||

Posted by .

The 1st and 3rd parts are certainly very similar to Hold The Reins, but different enough to be a different tune. We play Hold The Reins sometimes in our session, but I’ve never heard this one. It’s nice.

Watch out for my next tune, Dow.

Posted by .

I can’t wait 😉

The Dublin Lads

Piper Emmet Gill plays the Dublin Lads after The Slaney Bog on his 2007 album: The Mountain Groves. This album is the second in a series of albums released by Na Píobairí Uilleann under the general title : The Ace and Deuce of Piping.