Father Kelly’s reel

I heard this tune on Clare FM, played by John Canny, Kevin Carey, and Terence O’Reilly, from their Suantrai CD. It was announced as simply “Father Kelly’s” but it’s clearly not the more familiar session reel by that name. I believe it’s listed in a couple of tune compilations as Fr. Kelly’s No. 2. Canny and company recorded it in Fmajor, but I’ve transcribed it here in G. It doesn’t seem to have been recorded much.

That’s the name of this tune. You can listen to Fr. Kelly himself play and talk about it: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/ceilihouse/rams/2006/25march.smil (starts around 16:20) It’s from Ceili House Archive 2006: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/ceilihouse/1075154.html

Nice archive link. It’s always good to hear a composer play his own composition, and here we get not only Ben Hill, but Rossmore Jetty (aka Fr. Kelly’s No. 1). And thanks for putting a proper name on this tune. When a composer goes to the trouble of naming a tune, I like to use that name. As Fr. Kelly explains, he composed Ben Hill in 1960, and named it for a hill outside Woodford, on the way to Loughrea. Aggie Whyte and her husband lived near the bottom of it.

I know a tune an the name of it is father kellys but its not this1!!!!!🙁)🙁)🙁)🙁)🙁)

He was a prolific composer, and this is just one of many his compositions.

X:1
K:G
Q:175
|: GA | ~B2GB AGEG | DGGF G2AB | c2Ac BAGF | EAAG FDGA |
| B2GB AGEG | DGGF GABc | (3dedBd gdBd |1 cAFA G2 :|2 cAFA GABc |
|: (3dedBd gdBd |(3dedBd gd(3Bcd | e2ce agfe | defg agfe |
| (3dedBd gdBd |(3dedBd gdBd | c2Ac BAGB |1 AGFA GABc :|2 AGFA G2 |

Here’s a version I picked up at a session:

X: 1
T: Ben Hill
C: Father Kelly
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
dedB cBAB|G2 (3BAG DG (3BAG|AGAB cBAG|EAAG ABce|
dedB cBAB|G2 (3BAG DG (3BAG|AGAB cdef|gdcA BGGB:|
|:dggf edBd|eaab ageg|fdad bdad|g3e dcBc|
dggf gdBd|eaab agef|g3e dcBc|dBcA BGGB:|

Watch Charlie Coen and Dylan Foley play the tune: http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_316_5_monsignor_charlie_coen_and_dylan_foley

Hello,

There’s a nice version of Father Kelly’s No. 1 & 2 on page 57 of “The Black Book”.

(http://www.kenb.ca/blackbook/the-black-book.pdf)

Got this lovely setting from from a recording of John McGreevy & Seamus Cooley (Joe’s brother, the fluter). Fiddlers take note; the “AAAB” figure at the beginning of measures 3 & 7 is actually a neat sonic trick done with unison notes on adjacent strings. The first A note is the open A string, followed by a 4th finger A note on the D string, then open A once more & you’re on your way. If your 4th finger A note isn’t perfectly in tune, don’t panic; SLIGHT out-of-tune-ness is actually what makes this trick work. If it doesn’t work for you (or you don’t like it), stick a “G#” or a “G” in between those other 2 “A’s”. Enough talk, here it is:

X:1
T:Ben Hill
C:Father P.J. Kelly
S:John McGreevy & Seamus Cooley-“McGreevy & Cooley”
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:reel
K:G
~d3 B cBAB | G2 .B/.B/G DGBG | AAAB cBAG | EA .A/.A/A ABcA |
~d3 B cBAB | GABG DGBG | AAAB cdeg | fdcA BGGB :|
dg({a}g)f gedg | ea ~a2 ({b}a)geg | fd .d/.d/d bdad | gfge dcBc |
dg({a}g)f gedg | ea ~a2 ({b}a)geg | (f/g/a) eg fdcA | GBAF DGGB |
dg({a}g)f gedg | ea ~a2 ({b}a)geg | fd .d/.d/d bdad | gfge dcBc |
~d3 (g {a}g)edg | ea ~a2 ({b}a)geg | (f/g/a) eg fdcA | GBAF DG G2 ||

Lastly (and most importantly) HAVE FUN!

In her 2004 tunebook “A Drop in the Ocean”, Josephine Keegan calls this tune Paddy O’Brien’s Favorite.

http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_316_5_monsignor_charlie_coen_and_dylan_foley -- 1st tune, followed by Father Kelly’s other (1st?) reel.

Father Kelly’s No 2.