The Whistling Postman jig

The jig cousin to the reel just posted. I’ve heard several different fiddlers do this one, every one slightly different. I like to drop into Tar Road to Sligo after this, not as fast as the Bothy Band did it in 1975, more lyrical.

This is a G version of the Whisting Postman posted by Will.

In Coleman Disc 2 it is refering to the Kerry Reel and not the same
tune as above. Also am not quite sure if it is the same Kerry Jig as is on the Paddy Keenan album. I suspect not.

This is sometimes played in G, going right down to the open G-string.

Finally I found this tune on the net. Good to know it’s been already on this site.

I know this jig as “Charlie Mulvihill’s” through a couple of recordings: “The Smoky Chimney” by Eoghan O’Sullivan, Gerry Harrington, and Paul De Grae; and “Fourmilehouse” by Alan & John Kelly. Although it’s a really lovely tune which one of the local box players tries to popularise, I’ve been failing to learn it by ear. If it were a flute tune, it would be easier to pick up.

The sleeve notes of “The Smoky Chimney” inform us that this jig comes from the playing of New York-born box player Charlie Mullvihill and that it is listed as “The Kerry Jig” in the Volume 2 of Bulmer and Sharpley’s tune collection “Music from Ireland.”

(It seems he learned music his father, a concertina player from Co. Limerick. There is another jig listed as “Charlie Mullvihill’s” on this site, and in the comment space of the tune Will and Brad suspect Charlie was related to Martin and Brendan Mulvihill. It seems quite plausible if we consider both of Charlie’s parents were from Co. Limerick.)

Will have you noticed this is a bit like a jig form of Fox On the Prowl too?

https://thesession.org/tunes/586

https://thesession.org/tunes/586

Compare the Shaskeen jig: https://thesession.org/tunes/5197

I’m just confirming that this tune is a Charlie Mulvihill composition. The tune got its name “The Kerry Jig” because it was a great favourite of Kerry fiddler Denis Murphy as well as other Kerry musicians. This information comes from the album Atlantic Wave which Charlie Mulvihill himself plays on.

Learned this version off the CD The Smoky Chimney by Gerry Harringhton,Eoghan O’Sullivan and Paul De Grae.
X: 1
T: Charlie Mulvhill’s
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
| f3 edB | AFA BAF | DFA dfa | baf ede |
f3 edB | AFA BAF | DFA BAB | cBc d2e:|
| fef afd | gfg b2g | fef afa |baf ede |
f3 edB |AFA BAF |DFA BAB |cBc d3 :|

I learned this from The Smoky Chimney.
X: 1
T: Charlie Mulvhill’s
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
| f3 edB | AFA BAF | DFA dfa | baf ede |
f3 edB | AFA BAF | DFA BAB | cBc d2e:|
| fef afd | gfg b2g | fef afa |baf ede |
f3 edB |AFA BAF |DFA BAB |cBc d3 :|

The tune on the album ain’t no jig! Tis this:

https://thesession.org/tunes/1437

I learnt this tune from Martin Shane of Greenisland, County Antrim as below:

X:1
T:Whistling Postman, The
T:Charlie Mulvihill’s
T:Whistling Postman
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:jig
K:Dmaj
| ~f3 edB | ~A3 BAF | DFA dfa | baf ede |
~f3 edB | ~A3 BAF | DFA ~B3 | cBc d2e:|
| ~f3 afd | gBe gBe | ~f3 afa |baf ede |
~f3 edB |~A3 BAF |DFA ~B3 |cBc d3 :|

A recording of Martin playing this tune on flute can be heard/downloaded from www.tradirishmusic.org

I prefer this jig to the original(?) reel…

I had an email from Tommy Mulvihill a couple of days ago in which he says that his dad, Charlie, wrote this jig in A. I recently recorded the tune in D for my “tune learning” resources YouTube channel. Based on the settings here, D seems to be the present-day “consensus” key. He went on to say: “Most accordion players (good friends of mine) like to play it in “G” as it’s easier on the B/C box.”

From Elixir’s recording “Anybody’s Guess,” where they list it as “Charlie Mulvhil’s” with a missing L.

They play it on clarinet and fiddle -- lovely gentle lilt, leaning into that low G -- then swinging up to A and adding horns for Gigue Du Salon. Delicious.

Does anyone know the name of this tune? This tune is followed by The Bride’s Favourite (https://thesession.org/tunes/3746) on the album Celtic Jigs & Reels which is the album I transcribed the tune from.

https://thesession.org/tunes/587