The Killavil Fancy reel

Lovely tune. This is a really nice setting, too.

Nice one, Josh.

Thank you kindly! Most of my family comes From Killavil in Co. Sligo, so it sort of has a sentimental value as well 🙂 .

This has an alternate name in Bulmer & Sharpley’s, The "Ten Pound Float" good tune

This is a particularly nice setting, but isn’t it usually played as a single reel w/o repeats?

Composed by William Marshall.

This tune is played as a single reel in the session I regularly attend, but Mike Rafferty and Willie Kelly recorded it as a double. I wonder if it’s commonly played as a double in some places.

By the way, this is not a composition of William Marshall. He wrote a slow tune called the Farewell March, but this is obviously a reel.

I’ve played it both ways at different sessions. Locally, we usually play it double—more opportunities for variations.

https://thesession.org/tunes/1553

Thanks Will. I thought it’s rarely played as a single judging from Dow’s comment above and what I regularly hear and play in the session here.

Just learnt this tune today from a banjo player down at the local session. I had recorded him about a fornight ago but decided I’d learn it today. He gave me the name "Killavil House".

Nobody else calls it that way.

hhmm. I never heard the tune played anywhere since I recorded him so wouldn’t know the popular name for it but I’ll ask him where he got the name for it next time I see him. Maybe I heard him wrong.

I believe "fancy" was simply confused with "house".

This tune is recorded on Out of Ireland. I just read a quote from Mick Moloney in which he says he learned the tune from Tom Byrne, a flute player from Sligo, who used to play it himself at American wakes. It is played a a double, with a variation in the "a" part, when played slowly on this recording, which is how I play it…But, of course, I speed it up a bit…Unless I wish to play it as a sort of air. It’s a wonderfully versatile tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb1gfq1h5kw&feature=rec-HM-fresh+div

play video

This is a lovely laid back version by John Weir, Clare Keville and Eithne Ni Dhonaile, it’s the second tune

X: 1
T:Killavil Fancy, The
T:Eilish Brogan
T:Ten Pound Float, The
R:reel
D:Music at Matt Molloy’s
D:Frankie Gavin & Alec Finn
Z:Sometimes played doubled.
Z:id:hn-reel-101
M:C|
K:G
DGBG A2BA|GE~E2 cEGE|DGBG ~A3B|GEFD EGGA|
~B3d ~A3F|GE~E2 cEGE|DGBG ~A3B|GEED EGGD||
G2Bd efge|dBAB dBAB|G2Bd efge|dBAG EGGD|
G2Bd efge|dB~B2 dega|(3bag ag egde|gedB AGED||

This is more or less how I play the tune, but this is one of those nice little melodies that offers lots of opportunities for variation. I’m not sure if I ever even play it the same way twice!

X: 1
T: Killavil Fancy, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|: DBBG AGBA | GEED cABG | DGBG ~A3B | GEED EFGA |
~B2dB ~A2BA | GE~E2 c2BG | DBBG A2BA | GEED E~E2D |
|: GABd edge | dB~B2 dBAB | GABd ~e2ge | dBAG E~G3 |
GA (3B/c/d/ egge | dB~B2 dega | (3b/g/a/ ag egdg | gedB AGEG |

Lovely slow reel.

This tune is also called the Stonepark Reel as I was reliably told by a great musician from Tubbercurry.

https://youtu.be/4HtxHPXWD0E?t=2m30s

play video

This is approximately how I’ve heard it played locally in the DC area. Probably most influenced by the version on Music at Matt Molloy’s. Note that it’s done as a single reel.

Inspired from De Danann version. Lovin’it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uof2KYV63FY (here preceded by he ‘Old Claddagh Ring’ and ‘The Turnpike Gate’)

play video

My transcription of Frankie Gavin’s and Alec Finn’s version on their wonderful album