The Belharbour reel

I learned this tune from Marcus Hearnon some years ago when he lived in London. If you’re a flute player and you haven’t heard this man play, check him out. This tune appears on the first track of a new album by called Rabharta with Marcus, brother P.J (accordian) and Don Stiffe (guitar,vovals) calling themselves Feenish“. I think he may also have recorded the tune on an earlier album with Carl Hession.
This tune also appears on Kevin Crawford’s “d flute album” as “Dillon’s Fancy”.

Hernon is the correct spelling.

On Belfast flute player Michael clarkson’s CD, The Far Set, this tune appears as The Bellharbour Reel. I notice, however, that there is already a different tune with that name in The Session archives, so Mr. Clarkson may have made an error.

This tune appears in Geraldine Cotter’s tin whistle book under the title “The Bell Harbour”.
The tune entitled “The Belharbour” in these archives is the same tune. (I suspect that the correct spelling should be Bellharbour as this is a town in Co, Clare,)
The tune entitled “The Bell Harbour” also in the Session Archives is a different tune altogether. There is another title for this tune archived in the recesses of my memory, unfortunately offline at present!

T:Sailor’s Return, The
T:Paddy Reynold’s
T:Belharbour, The
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Peter Woodley
R:reel
D:Southerly Breeze
Z:g.m.p
K:G
E|DG~G2 D2(3Bcd|~g2dg egdB|~A3G AcBA|GBAF GFEF|
DG~G2 D2(3Bcd|~g2dg egdB|GA(3Bcd gedc|B2AF ~G3:|:z||
dggf gd(3Bcd|g2af gfed|eaag ~a3g|eaag egdB|
dggf gd(3Bcd|g2af gedB|GA(3Bcd gedc|B2AF ~G3:|

I’m not finding faults of anybody’s posts, but I accidentally find a mistake in this post. I hope it will be helpful for some people.

Milesnagopaleen wrote this tune is on Kevin Crawford’s solo album as “Dillon’s Fancy”, but actually it is what he recorded as Fisherman’s Farewell. Of course, Kevin might be wrong, but the point is that this is not what he plays as Dillon’s Fancy.

Well, I’m not an evil archivist, as you might think. Actually I was just looking at the pages of the tunes I need to learn. This tune was also recorded by another popular flute player Paul McGrattan, and Marcus Hernon also plays it according to Mile. (Unfortunately I’ve never heard him playing, but I know he’s a quite renowned player.) So inevitably I’m tempted to play it on the flute!

The problem is this tune has lots of different names, which is a little bit confusing. So I just want to clarify the mistake.

P.S. As pointed by Mile himself(?), another version of the tune is on this site: https://thesession.org/tunes/622

Another transcription of the tune: https://thesession.org/tunes/890

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on November 2nd 2006 by dubhghaill.

T: Over The Bridge
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: G Major
|: B |
DGGD G2 (3Bcd | g2 dg egdB | A3 G A2 BA | GBAF GFEA |
DGGD G2 (3Bcd | g2 dg egdB | GA (3Bcd gedc | BGAF G3 :|
|: B |
dggf gG (3ABc | g2 af gfed | eaag a3 g | ageg ed B2 |
dggf gG (3ABc | g2 af gedB | GA (3Bcd gedc | BGAF G3 :|

~ I meant to say “back from the ‘future’” ~ I’m in a time warp…

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on August 13th 2002 by milesnagopaleen.

K: G Major
|: E |
DG G2 DGBd | g2 dg egdB | A2 AG AcBA | GBAF GFEG |
DG G2 DG (3Bcd | gedB eBdB | GA (3Bcd gedc | (3Bcd AF G3 :|
|: e |
dggf gG (3Bcd | gbaf gfed | eaag a2 ag | eaag edBc |
dggf g2 (3Bcd | g2 af gedB | GA (3Bcd gedc | (3Bcd AF G3 :|

“I learned this tune from Marcus Hernon some years ago when he lived in London. If you’re a flute player and you haven’t heard this man play, check him out. This tune appears on the first track of a new album by called Rabharta with Marcus, brother P.J (accordian) and Don Stiffe (guitar,vovals) calling themselves Feenish”. I think he may also have recorded the tune on an earlier album with Carl Hession. This tune also appears on Kevin Crawford’s “d flute album” as “Dillon’s Fancy”.“

# Posted on August 13th 2002 by milesnagopaleen

Actually Nox you were right ~ 4 Xs…

I always associated this tune with concertina player Chris Droney who actually lives in Belharbour, near Kinvara in north Clare.
He played it on his first album back in the 60s called, if I remember rightly, The Flowing Tide However, it would seem from all the comments that the tune might have a longer lineage than I thought.

Me too murfbox, a great dance musician and dancer. Yes, it is on his album “The Flowing Tide”, one of my favourites…along with the rest of his recordings…

This isn’t the belharbour that John Carty plays on “At it again”. His is the hornpipe and I am looking for the dots. Anyone have a clue??

is here:

https://thesession.org/tunes/6456

not quite the same as John Carty’s version, but close enough for a start (he doesn’t play it the same way twice anyway)

The tune tha KC plays on D’flute that he calls Fisherman’s Farewell is known as The Bellharbor Reel - so called by Chris Droney.
The tune that Kevin calls Dillon’s Fancy is in fact Dillon’s Fancy.
He did not record Dillon’s Fancy as Fisherman’s Farewell. They are different tunes, though they are similar.

I wrote to Chris Droney to ask if he had composed this one, and he replied that he had not and wasn’t sure how the “Bellharbour” title got attached to it on his “Flowing Tide” CD. Martin Mulhaire recorded it c. 1960 on a 78 rpm disc as “Paddy O’Brien’s,” but in Eileen O’Brien’s book of her father’s tunes, it appears as “Paddy Reynolds’.” I know Paddy didn’t compose it as the only tune he ever took credit for was a reel he called “The Rakes of Drumlish.” So the origin remains a mystery.

“This tune also appears on Kevin Crawford’s “d flute album” as “Dillon’s Fancy”.” “
– sorry, no – these are two different tunes.

X:66
T:Belharbour Hornpipe, The
R:hornpipe
N:Bar 1 also played |G2GB G2Bd|
D:Sean Keane, Matt Molloy, Liam O’Flynn: The Fire Aflame
Z:id:hn-hornpipe-66
M:C|
K:G
GD|:GA (3AGF G2Bd|(3gag fg dGBd|eGBd BAGB|(3ABA (3GFE D2EF|
GA (3AGF G2Bd|(3gag fg dGBd|eGBd BAGD|1 G2GB G2GD:|2 GA (3AGF G2Bc||
|:dGBd eGBd|g2bg eGBd|cecA ~B3G|(3ABA (3GFE D2Bc|
dGBd eGBd|g2bg eGBG|DGBd BAGD|1 GB (3AGF G2Bc:|2 G2GB G2||

not as “Dillon’s Fancy” but as “Fisherman’s Farewell”

One of these session staple tunes that become more and more insipid with time..

One of these session tunes that become more and more insipid with every passing of session time..

It’s not the tune that is insipid but the playing of the tune. If you’re bored with the tune it isn’t the tune itself that is boring you, so much as your playing of the tune.

# Added by Josh Kane - March 28th, 2002
https://thesession.org/tunes/622

http://youtu.be/q-axIb0xARY

play video

He called it “The Fisherman’s Farewell” - followed by “The Piper’s Despair”.

Fantastic, thanks for uploading this.

Am I the only one to find the B part being quite close to “Sally Gardens” B part ?
https://thesession.org/tunes/98

Tommy Guihan
Great to see and hear him

One of the great ( of the many great ) north Connacht flute players.
Always loved his style.
Pat

Source - Torn Jacket CD, Tom Guihan

Called the Rough Road on James Keane’s Roll Away the Reel World, third reel on first track, played with Crossing the Shannon & Andy McGann’s Reel (Lad O’Beirne’s).

The original name for Bell Harbour in the Burren, Co. Clare is Bealaclugga or Béal An Ċloga, “mouth of the bell.” This is where Chris Droney the concertina player was born in 1924. He died on 9th Sept. 2020. Ar dheis lámh Dé go raibh a anam dhílis.