Joe Bann’s barndance

I learned this tune from Eamon O’Leary. Joe Bann wrote this tune in G, but I think he played on a C whistle so he played most of his tunes in C and F. There’s another barn dance by him that I learned to play before it, it’s also called Joe Bann’s and is played in F. They’re both great tunes.

I could swear this is already here, as a highland fling. It bears a lot in common with the following, which was likely a fling which has found rebirth as a single reel, something not uncommon:

"Denis Murphy’s"
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on June 25th 2001 by spoon.
https://thesession.org/tunes/156

Here’s this transcript in G for comparison (one change only ~ GAGA has become G2 GA, and a lead-in given:

K: G Major ( also played in A & D )
|: B |
G2 GA Bd d2 | BABG AGED | EGGA Bd d2 |1 egfa ged :|2 egfa g3 ||
f |
gabg ge d2 | efge dB B2 | gabg ge d2 | egfa g3 f |
gabg ge d2 | efge dBBA | G2 GA Bd d2 | egfa g3 ||

‘cnfinley’ ~ Is there a recording of the two tunes? If it is ‘Bann’, do you have more info on ‘Joe Bann’?

This tune is here at the Session under the title of Bonnie Scotland… https://thesession.org/tunes/3262
AKA Marquis of Hastings, Lord Moira’s… in the US Known as Cluck Old Hen (not the one in A modal), and Old Aunt Katie… probably other names.

Interesting that this Joe Bann’s is more the way I play it than as posted under Bonnie Scotland.

‘C’ I too know it as Joe Bane’s.

Hmm, I was told by quite a few people that it was written by Joe Bann (Bane?). Now I’m wondering about that. As for recordings, sorry, I don’t have any recordings of these tunes or of Joe Bann playing.

Yes Will & MC, it is more the way I know it, except in G & D…

Yup!, a duplication ~ it is "Bonnie Scotland", which is also played as a fling…how I learned it, but I don’t think by that name…

It’s called Bonnie Scotland on Andrew & Mary MacNamara’s "Open Hearth", which is a collection of tunes learned from Joe Bane and Bill Malley (and from tapes of them made by Andrew & Mary’s father). Interestingly, they play it in D, which makes it go below the range of both the C and D whistle. Roughly half of the tunes on the CD are played a step lower than they would be outside of Clare.

Here’s Geoff Wright’s transcription from "Open Hearth" (which I may or may not have edited slightly - I can’t recall):

T:Bonnie Scotland
R:schottische
M:4/4
L:1/8
D:"Open Hearth" Andrew & Mary MacNamara
N:Cut 8.1 on cd
Z:Geoff Wright
K:D
DCDE FAAA|GEFD EDB,A,|DCDE FAAA|Bdce d4|
DCDE FAAA|GEFD EDB,A,|B,DDE FAAA| Bdce d4||
defd dBAA|BddB AFFF|defd dBAA |Bdce d4|
defd dBAA|BddB AFFF|DCDE FAAA| Bdce d4|]

Gary, as I suspect this may go "POOF!", I’ve copied the transcript and notes, yours included, and put them in the ‘Comments’ for "Bonnie Scotland"… I’d hate to see them not be here…valued! 🙂

Goes back to the 1800’s at least.

It also seems to be a variation on the English version of "Polly put the kettle on" a la John Kirkpatrick

K:G
M:4/4
|:gfed efge|dcBA Bc d2|gfed efgw|fgaf g2:|
|:gabg af d2|efge dB G2|ABcA dBGB|cAFA G2:|
|:BcdB cd e2|ABcA Bc d2|G2 GB cBAG|FDEF G4:|

Joe Bane was a flute/whistleplayer from the Feakle area.

You can hear him here: http://www.rogermillington.com/tunetoc/shandonbells.html

Cut-and-paste from kilfarboy’s given link, just a short taster and part explanation for the spelling bee confusions:

A brief commentary by Peter Laban, 11 August 2002:

"Introduction ~ Joe Bane (pronounced Bahn) was a flute and whistle player from the Feakle area. In a stylistic sense he is in the same bracket as fiddleplayer P. Joe Hayes and concertinaplayer John Naughton, both from very much the same area. The style is characterised by a sparse though efficient use of ornamentation and relies heavily on its rhythm and the precise phrasing of the music. This gives the style great "lift". Martin Hayes has named Bane as one of his prime influences."

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on July 21st 2008 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/8731

Cormac Ó Beaglaíoch plays the tune here, but it dosen’t sound like any of the midi settings

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

play video