Paddy Fahey’s jig

Another great tune from the famed Co. Galway fiddler and composer. This version comes from the playing of Martin Hayes on his self-titled cd.

Lots of room for variations on this one. I tend to roll the high f naturals (including the fef phrase in measure 3 of Part B).
For a nice Hayes-ian touch, try the following for the A Part:

|DGA BGG|cGG dGG|gdB Bcd|

or

|DGA BAG|cBA dfa|gfd Bcd|

This tune works well at a slow, somber tempo, but also fired up a bit and charging along angrily. I like to play it as the last in a set starting with the Kerfunken Jig, then Tell Her I Am, then Paddy Fahy’s.

Note that the two Paddy Fahy tunes on "The Lonesome Touch" are both reels. I can’t vouch for the other recordings listed under Details for this tune.

another favourite,Will.
We usally go into the humours of Brandon after this.

On ‘The Cap Fits’, Kevin Burke plays it slightly differently, putting in F#s and even some B-naturals in the turn. His A-part starts roughly like this:
DGA ~B3 | cBc d2g | ^fdg gfd | cAG ~F3 |

Think it would go well with the Swedish Jig? Hmmmmm…

I love Martin Byrnes’ setting for this on Paddy in the Smoke - definitely a different feel than Hayes’. Don’t know about Kevin’s since I don’t have his ‘cap fits’ album yet (working on it). I might try to provide abcs for Byrnes’ later if I can figure them out.

There are major mode settings of this tune floating around, quite different from the minory sound given here.

I’m sorry but I haven’t been able to remember who gave this to me first, but I was taught it in another key and have it slightly different from what’s given here. Anyway, for those that might be interested, here goes a quick attempt late at night to ABC it:

K: A Dorian
|: G |
EAB cBc | d^cd e2 a | aec cde | dBA GF^E |
EAB c2 e | d^cd e2 a | aec cde | dB^G A2 :|
|: e |
a2 e ^gab | aed cBA | BGB gfg | bag ef^g |
a2 b cba | gea g3 | Bcd ged | BA^G A2 :|

This is the Paddy Fahey’s that is on track 2 on Seamus Egan’s "In Your Ear" album. The listing here points to a reel called Paddy Fahey’s for some reason.

He also plays it in a different key. It’s the same notes as are listed here but with F# instead of Bb in the key signature, whatever key that works out to be.

Interestingly, the last half of the B part is very similar to the final portion of the B part of Scully Casey’s Jig played by Kevin Crehan on ‘An Bhabog Sa Bhadog’ with its ‘gfd gfd’ and so on motif.

I find this tune much more interesting played in mixed modes, as I’ve most often heard it played in sessions. At a session a few days ago, I was listening to how everyone else was playing it, and the general consensus was as follows:

X: 1
T: Paddy Fahy’s
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
DGA _~B3|c=Bc d2g|gfd Bcd|cAG FGA|
DGA _~B3|c=Bc d2g|gfd Bcd|1 cAF G2F:|2 cAF GBd||
|:g2d fga|gfd Bcd|cAA ~=f3|ag^f def|
g2a bag|fdg fdc|B2G AGF|1 DGF GBd:|2 DGF G2F||

So Bbs bars 1 & 5 of A-part only, and Fnats bar 3 of B-part. I love how the Bs and Fs waver between flat and nat - the effect is much more subtle that way.

https://thesession.org/tunes/2561#comment217528

Here’s my transcription from Martin Haye’s CD "The Lonesome Touch".

X: 1
T:Paddy Fahy’s Jig #1
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:GDor
F| DGA B2 c|cBc d2g|gfd Bcd|cAG FDC|
DGA B2 c|cBc d2 g|gfd Bcd|1cAF G2 D:|
|2cAF GBd|:g3 fga|gfd Bcd|c2 A f3|agf def|
g2 a bag|fdg fdc|B2G Adc|1 AGF GBd :|2AGF G2D ||

Martin Byrnes makes it really beautiful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dws185EvRoQ

play video

The sheetmusic posted here is quite different from the setting played by Kevin Burke on If The Cap Fits https://thesession.org/recordings/210

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIO9Qhqe4RQ

play video

Here’s my transcription of this recording, minus a lot of detail. I apologise in advance for any inaccuracies - I think it conveys the shape of the tune well enough.

X: 1
T: Paddy Fahy’s
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gdor
DGA ~B3|~c3 d2 g|^fdg gfd|cAG ~F3|
|DGA BAG|c=Bc d2 g|^fdg gfd|1 cA^F G2 ^F:|2 cA^F G=Bd||
|:~g2 d ^fga|g^fd ~c3|A_BA ~f3|ag^f de^f|
|g2 a =bag|^fdg fdc|=B2 G Adc|1 AG^F G=Bd:|2 AG^F G2 ^F||

I don’t know for certain, but I suspect that this may be closer to how Paddy Fahy himself plays it, or *played* it at some point. Notice the fluidity of B flat vs. natural and F natural vs. sharp.

Judge for yourself: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?jgwwp4wbsdj8cjf

"I suspect that this may be closer to how Paddy Fahy himself plays it"

After listening to that, Kevin, I take that back. Paddy Fahy’s recording has a much more major feel to it - B-naturals throughout, with just a few F-naturals here and there. The shape of the tune, however, is much the same as the posted version.

I have noticed, however, listening to Paddy Fahy play the same tune on different recordings, that, whilst there is usually very little variation between iterations within one rendition, he sometimes has a markedly different take on a tune from one occasion to the next. So Kevin Burke’s version could still originate from the composer himself.

https://thesession.org/tunes/2561#comment217528

X: 6
T: Paddy Fahy’s
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gdor
|: DGA ~B3 | cBc d2 g | gfd Bcd | cAG AGF |
DGA ~B3 | cBc d2 g | gfd Bcd |[1 cAF G2 F :|[2 cAF GBd ||
|: ~g2 d fga | gfd Bcd | cAA ~f3 | agf def |
~g2 a bag | fdg fdc | B2 G AGF |[1 DGF GBd :|[2 DGF G2 F |]

# Posted on July 1st 2006 by wvwhistler / windybear

So, try this for Dow’s version of April 14th 2007:

X: 1
T: Paddy Fahy’s
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
DGA ~_B3|c=Bc d2g|gfd Bcd|cAG FGA|
DGA ~_B3|c=Bc d2g|gfd Bcd|1 cAF G2F:|2 cAF GBd||
|:g2d fga|gfd Bcd|cAA ~=f3|ag^f def|
g2a bag|fdg fdc|B2G AGF|1 DGF GBd:|2 DGF G2F||

Yes, with the Bs all flat and Fs natural. I love it that way, and it can be played so on winds, but not necessarily what one would call ‘flute firiendly’, unless we’re talking one with keys. But half holing and cross fingerings work too. 😉 I personally love it in G Dorian.

But, dear muspc, what’s the =B in your G Major take on this? Oh, because the previous bar had the flat ~_B… But you know you don’t need to use the natural sign when its in a new bar… A new bar, suddenly I’m feeling very thirsty…

I simply altered the one aspect of Dow’s so it could convert to sheet music properly. I left all else as is.

Personally, I seldom use "courstesy" accidentals as Dow has with those B naturals, but it’s not an uncommon practice.

What did you do to it muspc? I can’t work out why it’s not converting. Perhaps Jeremy has made some font changes or something since I posted it…

replace _~B3 with ~_B3 in bars one and five of the A part. At least in the converter at concertina.net, the _~B3 mysteriously translates into a c-flat quaver (eighth note) followed by a dotted crochet (dotted quarter) B - clearly not what you intended! 🙂

The accidental has to go next to the note it modifies, just as in score, so muspc’s amendment to ~_B3 is correct; the conversion program would not recognise the incorrect syntax but might try to make something out of it.

The muspc posting of 24th August converts OK on Folkinfo.org, as would be anticipated.

"Courtesy" accidentals can turn up anywhere where the scribe (or publisher/editor) thinks that the player is likely to need a reminder! Does this say more about the scribe/publisher/editor or the imagined player?

All the best

Peter Jenkins

Can’t believe I didn’t spot that! Even when Peter wrote _~B3 and ~_B3 I still saw them as the same 🙂 I obviously need to get my eyes tested…

Here’s Paddy Fahy’s jig being played by Evelyn Healy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYlrreiBsYY

play video

And here’s another video of it being played:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWPMKWU38EE

play video

… videos, by far - I especially like the Gm key for this tune.

BTW, dots can be found at http://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/mirror/bardicrose.com/ABCTUNES.ABC/0060

Some significant support for the Dr. Dow and JACKB settings:-

Paddy Fahy playing his own Jig, all taken from the Comhaltas Archive.

https://archive.comhaltas.ie/tracks/921
https://archive.comhaltas.ie/tracks/4774
https://archive.comhaltas.ie/tracks/8235
https://archive.comhaltas.ie/tracks/11553

and a couple of others ..

https://archive.comhaltas.ie/tracks/8780
https://archive.comhaltas.ie/tracks/11244

This is Paddy Fahy’s Jig as we used to play it in the ’80s. There are first and second-time bars but I couldn’t see quite how to render those in ABC format. There are a couple of strings going about it but as yet I haven’t found this version. Kevin Burke used to play it in G minor as well. We used to follow it with the reel ‘Spoot o’ Skerry’ so I expect we nicked it from someone else’s LP.

Already on. See setting no. 5 for the G major version…
https://thesession.org/tunes/532

Can’t remember where I first came across this jig, which may be the best-known of PF’s tunes. The setting is from the collection given in Maria Holohan’s thesis. The added chords are simply my suggestions, with no claims for authenticity.

A version I learned from Páraic Mac Donnchadha in his banjo workshop at the 2020 Feakle Festival. I’m not sure about the mode / key as the tune keeps shifting from one to another.