Branohm reel

This is one of two Maire Breathnach compositions going by the name of Branohm, requested by a certain heavy nettle band in Discussions. I’m just about to post the other one.

I should say that I got this tune out of an abc collection and I suspect the bar lines may be in the wrong places. But I don’t know the tune very well - I last heard it about 3 years ago on a Solas album - so I have left it as it is. If anyone can confirm that it is wrong, I’ll put it right. The notes all sound right to me, anyway

David, this tune too is on Solas’ cd “Solas,” listed as “Maire Breathnach’s #2” in track 8.

Now that I listen to it, I can see that your abc source has the bar lines in the wrong place. The tune as played by Solas’ Win Horan on fiddle starts:
|e(3AAA cdec|d2 gd BAGB|A~E3 ABcd|(3efg fa geag| and so on

Great tune though. 🙂

P.S. Win starts off the B Part a little different from the version you have, probably to avoid that “edef” string crossing at the breakneck speed they’re playing this at on the cd. She does:

|[eA2] ef gfaf|gedc Bedg|
and then it looks pretty much the same as what you’ve got.

um, er, that’d be |gedc Bcdg| in the above second bar. This tune is fated to by typed in with errors…. I look forward to your clearing it up on the next go round,
Will

Thanks, Will, for confirming that. I’ll try and put that right.

Like I said, I got this version from an existing abc collection. It was transcribed from Maire Breathnach’s own recording, so it is (assuming it is accurately transcribed, which is probably not a safe assumption, given the bar line error) the “original” version.

Just had to comment how good I think this tune is. Nice with “atmosphere” as the melody instrument (at least with my soundcard), chords “on” and “Dead” ;

Conan, it’s on Solas’s cd “Solas,” listed as Maire Breathnach’s #2.

On order as we speak, thanks Will!

Con

Maire Breathnach’s #1 is also on the Solas cd, another great tune. Actually, I don’t think there’s a dud tune on the album, and most of them are posted here on The Session’s tune archives.

I didn’t look at the comments when I printed of the sheet music. Indeed, the first half measure is a pickup and the first full measure should start 1/2 measure in. I have been enjoying these tunes David - thanks for the posts.

R: double reel
|: ag |
e ~A3 cdec | degd BAGB | A ~E3 ABcd | egfa geag |
eA (3AAA cdec | degd BAGB | AE (3EEE cdec | d2 gd BA :|
|: Ad |
edef g2 af | gedc Bcdg | eaag ~a3 b | aged (3Bcd ef |
geaf f2 ef | gedc BAGB | A ~E3 cdec | d2 gd BA :|

& as I prefer it ~
R: single reel:
|: ag |
eA (3AAA cdec | degd BA (3GGB |1 AE (3EEE ABcd | egfa ge :|
|2 AE (3EEE cdec | d2 gd BAAd ||
ed (3efg a2 af | gedc BG (3bcd | eaa^g ~a3 b | aged (3Bcd ef |
geaf g2 ef | gedc BAGB | A ~E3 cdec | (3ded gd BA ||

For bar 4 I play: |(3efg fa gbdg| because I like that top B.

I adapted this reel as a jig. I think it goes quite well as a jig. Here’s the link to the score: .
For the ABC, my site has all the ABCs as one zip.
http://malcolm.schonfield.free.fr/zik.php?tune=branohm_jig&lang=en

The flook version


X:1
T:Branohm
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:reel
K:Ador
c2Bc AGED|CDEF GABd|BcBc AGEF|GEDB, A,2AB|
c2Bc AGED|CDEF GABc|dBBB BcBA|1 GEDB, A,2AB:|2 GEDB, A,2z2||
K:AMix
|:c3 B ABcd|eAce g2fg|eaaa agea|gedB BAAB|
c2Bc ABcd|eAce g2ga|bagb agea|gedB BAAB:|

I learned this with the A mix part played first, and the B dor last. I like it better that way. Ripping tune-- a real stomper.

kinda reminiscent of Liz Carroll’s Lost in the Loop (the feel of it as opp. to features) https://thesession.org/tunes/4791

X: 2
T: Branohm
C: Maire Breathnach
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: double reel
K: Ador
|: ag |\
eA ~A2 cdec | degd BAGB | AE ~E2 ABcd | egfa geag |
eA A/A/A cdec | degd BAGB | AE E/E/E cdec | d2 gd BA :|
|: Ad |\
e^def g2 af | gedc Bcdg | eaa^g ~a3 b | aged B/c/d ef |
geaf g2 ef | gedc BAGB | AE ~E2 cdec | d2 gd BA :|

& as I prefer it ~

X: 3
T: Branohm
C: Maire Breathnach
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: single reel
K: Ador
|: ag |\
eA A/A/A cdec | degd BA G/G/B |\
[1 AE E/E/E ABcd | egfa ge :|\
[2 AE E/E/E cde^c | d/e/d gd BAAd ||
ed e/f/g a2 af | gedc BG b/c/d |\
eaa^g ~a3 b | aged B/c/d ef |
geaf g2 ef | gedc BAGB |\
A ~E3 ^cde=c | d/e/d gd A2 |]

# Posted on February 13th 2006 by ceolachan

If anybody wants a copy of this, drop me an email-- I have a pro recording by Solas as well as a solo banjo version.

neat tune-- it’s symmetrical-- part A descends via dorian and B ascends via mixolydian.

I just found that someone had changed the name of this tune to “Branohm goes nicely with donnegal tinker”. I’m sure it does, but I assume that was a mistaken edit of the tune name.

A version that’s a little closer to how Solas plays it (also matches the version on the album “Norland Wind” that Máire Breatnach plays on).

X:7 is note-for-note how Winnie Horan taught the tune at a workshop earlier this year, and similar enough to how Máire plays it (according to my transcription of her recording).

Máire Breatnach is an Irish fiddle, violin and viola player.
Not to be confused with Maire Breathnach, Irish actress.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1ire_Breatnach
Selected discography
The Voyage of Bran (1994)
Celtic Lovers (1997)
Angels’ Candles/Coinnle na nAingeal (1999)
Dreams and Visions in Irish Song / Aislingí Ceoil (2002)
Cranna Ceoil / In Full Measure (2009)