Sixteen comments
I got this tune out of Karen Tweed’s book…I usually like to play The Old Bush after it.
The watchmaker
this is the second tune of three highlands played on the Patrick Street, Irish Times album
The version I play is a bit different, most notably that the first f is sharp, followed by a few choice f nats. So I think of this as being in A dorian, with the f nats as accidentals. I think this is closer to the Altan version (Horse with a Heart) as well. As follows:
X: 1
T: Watchmaker, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: A dorian
|cAAc BGGB|cAAB cded|cAAc BGGB|c/B/A BG EAAB:||
|c2 ec gcec|G2 BG dGBG|c2 ec gcec|eaag eaab|
|geeg fdd=f|ecce dBGB|ABcd e=fed|c/B/A BG EAAB||
This tune is in the Gunn Book (Fermanagh 1865) as ‘Neils Gowan’s Second Wife’ (sic). It was also called by that name by Derrygonnelly flute-player Eddie Duffy
Different title
This tune appears under "Neil gow’s highland" title in Altan album
It is called the watchmaker on O’neill’s 1001
The watchmaker is easily converted (back?) into a Scottish pipe tune.
Tin-whistle: Try to do C natural triplets in the 2nd part if you dare!
A related tune
Josephine Keegan includes a very similar reel titled The Wooden Shuttle in her 2004 book A Drop in the Ocean.
The Wooden Shuttle appears as Reel # 43 in Keegan’s book, but she also includes a version of The Watchmaker as reel #233. This tune is related to a strathspey appearing in Ryan’s 1050 as Neal Gow’s Wife (key of B flat).
The Watchmaker, X:3 - ‘Neil Gow’s Second Wife’
This is how Mick O’Brien, Emer Mayock and Aoife Ní Bhriain play this reel on ‘Tunes From The Goodman Manuscripts.’ The first part is identical to other versions of The Watchmaker, but the second part is really quite different.
Neil Gow’s Wife / The Watchmaker
If you’ve come to this page looking for the tune that Calum Stewart plays on his Hunter’s Moon CD, then you probably need to go to this instead: https://thesession.org/tunes/749
The Skibbereen
A reel I heard at a Fleadh Cheoil a couple of years ago - named here for the origin of the flautist who played it that day. Couldn’t find it notated anywhere, so here you are. Here’s one I made earlier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTj5DC4ExMY
“The Watchmaker” [ in Ireland - O’Neill’s #755 ]
Thanks Kenny, how do I delete this?
Hi fluther - if you send Jeremy, the webmaster, a private message, he’ll sort it when he has time.
The Watchmaker, X:7
Calum Stewart & Heikki Bourgault’s setting as played here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skrIG8yAfTM
