Greig’s Pipes reel

Conal O’Grada has recorded a 5-part version of this reel.

Played with “The Congess” and “the Cup of tea” on Kieran Hanrahan-Plays the irish tenor banjo album.Brilliant

“This three part version of Cregg’s Pipes was recorded by the Flanagan Brothers in New York in 1927. It includes a part which is common with the opening part in “The Coalminer”, another of the “big” Flanagan reels.”

This is what Paul Brock says about this version of the reel on his ‘Mo Chairdin’ LP.

X: 1
T: Cregg’s Pipes
V: Flanagan Brothers
D: 1927
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
d2Bd egge|d2BG AGEG|d2Bd egge|agbg ageg|
d2Bd egge|d2BG AGEG|d2Bd egge|dBAB G3A|
B2B/B/B BAGA|B2BG AGEG|B2B/B/B BAGA|BGAF G2GA|
B2B/B/B BAGA|B2BG AGEG|B2B/B/B BAGA|BGAF G2D/D/D|
DGBG AGBG|DGBG AGEG|DGBG AGBd|gedB ABGE|
DGBG AGBG|DGBG AGEG|DGBG AGBd|gedB G4|

… and it’s a fantastic rendition too!

I like how Lunasa plays this tune, it’s very beautiful and calming, especially the chords they use in the third phrase.

The sheet music here is nothing like the version of The Level Plain on Song of the Irish Whistle CD by Joanie Madden. Any one know how I can get the Joanie Madden version or why the difference? Thanks.

X: 1
T: Magh Seola
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Amin
|:Bc d2 BA G2|G2 GA BG e2|e2 dc BG B2| A2 A2 Ae d2|
B2 g2 fg e2|ed B2 AB G2|AB BA GF G2|G2 G2 G2 D2||
|:B2 cd d2 BA| G2 G2 GA BG|e2 e2 dc BG|B2 A2 A2 Ae|
d2 B2 g2 fg|e2 ed B2 AB|G2 AB BA GF|G2 G2 G2 D2||
Bc/B/ AG d2 d2|ed ce d2 ga|bd gb ag fd|dc Bc A2 Ae|
d2 B2 ga/g/ fg|e2 ed B2 AB|G2 AB BA GF|G2 G2 G2 D2||

I’m not sure how Greig’s Pipes was given this name, as the only tune I have heard with this name is the tune I posted above, I thought this tune used to be on this data base but now cannot be found.

Does anyone have Lunasa’s setting? Or can anyone tell me how I could get said setting?

This tune is in the Gunn Book (Fermanagh 1865) as ‘Greg’s Pipes - a 4 part reel with 2 parts in Am and 2 parts in G. The version in Kerr’s Merry Melodies is very similar but has 3 parts in Am and 1 part in G. It is the same tune …. just. It also appears in the Skye Collection and in the Grier MS (Leitrim) - according to the notes on the McNamara Family CD, this old version of the tune was the basis for the Bucks of Oranmore, the Foxhunters and the Reel of Tulloch. Impressive descendents!

This sounds similar but still different from Lunasa’s version. I’d love to see something a bit closer.

I have a video for Cregg’s pipes : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39WRSa6g_2c

play video

Submitted on June 14th 2011 by VivaVirago.
https://thesession.org/tunes/11298

X: 4
T: Craig’s Pipes
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
B2 B2 BAGA | B2 GB AGED | B3 A BAGB | AGBG AGED |
B3 A BAGA | B2 dB AGEG | Beed BddB | AGBG EGEG ||
DGGF DGBG | DGBG AGEG | DGGF GABc | dBAc BGGE |
DGGF G3 E | DGBG AGEG | DGGF GABc | dBAc BGGB ||
d2 Bd efge | d2 BG AGEe | d2 Bd efge | agbg baeg |
d2 Bd efge | d2 BG AGEe | d2 Bd efge | agbg baed |]

Sadly no comment was left by the person who made this submission…

Damn, I did it again, sorry Jeremy. I was rushing out and forgot to reduce the link to the basics… 😏

This is the five part as published by Brendan Breathnach in his Ceol Rince Na hEireann, cuid 1.
While transcribing, I tried to be as closed to Breathnach’s text as possible, except I haven’t kept the grace notes.

And following is Paul de Grae’s translation of editor’s (i.e. B. Breathnach) notes on the tunes :
(taken from http://www.capeirish.com/webabc/collections/cre/v1/cre1-pdg.pdf)

“96. Píopaí Greig [Greig’s Pipes]: The setting* published by O’Farrell in the
“Pocket Companion” is printed by O’Neill in “Waifs and Strays of Gaelic
Melody” (288). In his notes, O’Neill said that it was Joshua Campbell who
composed this reel and that he printed it in the year 1779. It was printed
before that by Nial Stíobhard (1761). The first part of O’Neill’s Edenderry Reel
(O’N i, 770) is a version of the first part of this reel. Limber Elbow, which he
also prints (O’N iii, 268), is a poor version. In County Clare this tune is called
Connolly’s Reel. The Kerry Huntsman is another name. Many musicians call it
Kregg’s [also, Craig’s] Pipes but this is incorrect
[from Sonny Brogan, accordion]”

*And here his the O’Farrell version (taken from Bill Black’s site http://www.capeirish.com/webabc/collections/ofpc/ofpc1/ofpc1-tunes.txt ; but this link seems broken for the moment …)

As in O’Neill’s 1850.

I just added the 9th setting of this tune. I tried to get it as close as possible to Lúnasa’s flute part of this tune. 🙂 They use the name Cregg’s Pipes. I slowed the recording down to 1/2 speed and transcribed it note by note. The fiddle part is definitely different though.
Hope you enjoy this! 😀

But here ist the one and only version, craigs pipes starts at 2:30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoT0I6vmYgw

play video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkRy48LiHYo

play video

From the playing of the duo “Tabache”
from a set of reels called “Cregg’s Pipes”

The Gneevguillia \ Are You Willing? \ Hanly’s Tweed \ Niamh’s Capers \ Cregg’s Pipes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umFKpytYPjE

play video

This is from Cape Breton fiddler Sandy MacIntyre’s playing of the tune. I believe this is the usual Cape Breton setting, in 4 parts. It’s very reminiscent of “The Foxhunter’s Reel”, which is also played by Cape Breton fiddlers, and it is often played in “high-bass tuning” (AEAE). It’s also somewhat similar to the setting from the MacNamara family’s album “Leitrim’s Hidden Treasure”. As for printed sources, this setting is extremely close to the setting from Stewart Robertson’s “The Athole Collection”, published in 1884, according to the fiddler’s companion, so it’s very possible that the typical Cape Breton setting derives from Robertson’s version.

Interestingly, sometimes you’ll hear some weird stuff going on with this tune in Cape Breton sets. For example, MacIntyre only plays it once in the set, perhaps because it’s repetitive. But even more interesting is John L. MacDonald’s setting of the tune. To get that setting, play the first part of my transcription, then follow that with both parts of “The Straw Man” (https://thesession.org/tunes/13192), another Cape Breton reel in A major. It certainly confused me a lot hen I heard it.

Anyway, I love all the very diverse versions of this tune. They’re all great in my opinion.

This one is a Shetland (Whalsay) setting from fiddler Andrew Poleson. He varies the second part a bit, which is why I wrote it twice. Like the Cape Breton setting, this one is played in AEAE tuning.

It is listed as a strathspey in some of the RSCDS collections, 4 parts. The 2nd half is played one octave down. I don’t know if that is a variation or if the original manuscript has 4 parts.
Sylvia Miskoe, Concord NH USA

https://youtu.be/yZqQq7dP_8w

play video

Brilliant rendition of this tune…I love it, and the jig is somethin’ else too!!

Here’s quite a simplified setting.