The Flax In Bloom reel

Also known as An Líon Faoi Bhláth, Flaxen Bloom, The Flaxen Bloom, The Flaxen Broom, The Lily White, Líon Faoi Bhláth, Na Ḃláṫanna Líonta.

There are 97 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The Flax In Bloom appears in 6 other tune collections.

The Flax In Bloom has been added to 46 tune sets.

The Flax In Bloom has been added to 316 tunebooks.

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Twelve settings

1
X: 1
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
D2 (3FED FAAf|(3gfe (3fed edBd|(3ABA FA dfaf|gafd edBd|
D2 (3FED FAAf|(3gfe (3fed edBd|ABAF ABde|faeg fd d2||
(3fgf df (3efe ce|dcdB AGFG|DFAd FAdf|(3gfe (3fed edBd|
(3fgf df (3efe ce|dcdB AGFG|DFAc defg|afeg fd d2||
2
X: 2
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
faaf dfaf|gabg ecAb|affd ABAF|A2ge fdd2|
faaf dfaf|gabg ecAB|AGFG A2df|afeg fdd2|
3
X: 3
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
efaf dfaf|gabg ecAb|affa dedB|A2ge fd~d2|
faaf dfaf|gabg efdB|AFFG A2d'b|afea fd~d2:|
4
X: 4
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:D2ED FAAf|gefd edBd|BAFB ABdf|(3gfe fd edBd|
D2ED FAAf|gefd edBd|BAFB ABdf|1 afeg fdAF:|2 afeg fede||
|:f2df e2ce|dfed BAFA|DFAd FAdf|(3gfe fd edBd|
f2df e2ce|dfed BAFA|DFAd FAdf|1 afeg fede:|2 afeg fdAF||
5
X: 5
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
~f2af dfaf|~g2fg e~B3|f~d3 Adfd|ceae c/d/e ae|
~f2af dfaf|~g2fg e~B3|A~F3 ABdf|afeg f~d3:|
6
X: 6
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:D2DD ADFA|fedf edB2|AFFF dfaf|gefd edBA|
D2DD ADFA|f2ff edB2|AFFF ABdf|afeg fede|
|:f2ff egfe|dedA BAFA|DFAD FAdf|gefd edBd|
fedf edce|d3A BAFA|DFAD FAdf|afeg fed2:|
7
X: 7
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:D2ED FAAf|gefd edBd|A2FA dfaf|g2fd edBd|
D2ED FAAf|gefd edBd|A2FB ABdf|1 afeg fdd2:|2 afeg fdde||
|:f2df edce|d2cd BAFA|DFAd FAdf|(3gfe fd edBd|
f2df edce|d2cd BAFA|DEFG ABdf|1 afeg fdde:|2 afeg fdd2||
8
X: 8
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
faaf dfaf|g2bg ecAg|fedc dafd|cdef gfge|
faaf afdf|gfgf edBF|A~F3 ABde|faeg fdd2|
9
X: 9
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
D2 F/E/D FAAf|gefd edBd|AF- F2 DFAF|GEFD EA,- A,2|
DEFA df- f2|g3 f fedB|B/c/B FB ABde|faea fdAF|
D2 F/E/D FAAf|gefd edBd|ADFA dfaf|gefd eB- B2|
ADFA DFAd|gefd edBd|A/B/A FB ABde|faea fdd||
|:e|f3 f fecA|d3 A BAFA|DFAd FAdf|gefd eB- B2|
fagf egfe|d3 A BAFA|DFAc defg|1 afeg fdd:|2 afeg fdAF||
D2 F/E/D FAAf|gefd edBd|AF- F2 DFAF|GEFD EA,- A,2|
DEFA df- f2|g3 f fedB|B/c/B FB ABde|1 faea fdAF:|2 faea fdd||
|:e|f3 f g3 g|a3 A BAFA|DFAd FAdf|gefd eB- B2|
fagf egfe|d3 A BAFA|DFAc defg|ageg fd de|
f3 f fecA|d3 A BAFA|DFAd FAdf|gefd eB- B2|
fagf egfe|d3 A BAFA|DFAc defg|afeg fd d2||
10
X: 10
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:A|D2 F/E/D FAdf|gefd edBd|A2 FA dfaf|g/f/e fd edBd|
D2 F/E/D FAdf|g/f/e fd edBd|A2 FA ABdf|afeg fdd:|
|:e|f2 df edce|dcdA BAFA|DFAd Afaf|g/f/e fd edBd|
f/g/f df e/f/e ce|d2 dA BAFA|DFAd Afaf|afeg fdd:|
11
X: 11
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:D2ED FAAf|gefd edBd|BAFB ABdf|(3gfe fd edBd|
D2ED FAAf|gefd edBd|BAFB ABdf|1 afeg fdAF:|2 afeg fede||
|:f2df e2ce|dfed BAFA|DFAd FAdf|(3gfe fd edBd|
f2df e2ce|dfed BAFA|DFAd FAdf|1 afeg fede:|2 afeg fdde||
|:~f2af dfaf|~g2fg eBB/B/B|fdd/d/d Adfd|ceae c/d/e ae|
~f2af dfaf|~g2fg eBB/B/B|AFF/F/F ABdf|1 afeg fdde:|2 afeg fddA||
12
X: 12
T: The Flax In Bloom
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:D2ED FAA2|gefd edBd|BAFA dfaf|gefd edBd|
D2ED FAA2|gefd edBd|BAFA ABdf|afeg fdd2:|
|:f2df e2ce|dcdA BAFA|DFAD FAdf|gefd edBd|
fAdf eAce|dcdA BAFA|DEFG ABdf|afeg fdd2:|

Thirteen comments

From O’Neill’s “Dance Music of Ireland”…I was flipping through the book and playing random tunes. I came across this one and decided to learn it.

Brent

Maeve Donnelly plays a 3rd part to this reel on that great album she did a couple of years ago. She of course plays it in A, with the the fiddle tuned to AEae ( a tip of the hat to the great West Clare fiddler Patrick Kelly).
I’ve transcribed the 3rd part she plays into D……

faaf dfaf| gabg ecAb| affd ABAF| A2ge fdd2|
faaf dfaf| gabg ecAB| AGFG A2df| afeg fdd2|

The last couple of bars are actually modified a bit, as she goes to a high “a” on the “e”string, which would mean a high “d” when transposed up to the key of D.
I don’t play high “d”‘s myself, I’ll leave that to them classical fellas. But if you’re so inclined it would be --A2d’b--- instead of the A2df.

Lovely 3rd part though, goes great with the first two. Does anyone know of any other recordings of this with three parts?

3rd part

Here’s how I hear the 3rd part (transposed into D):

efaf dfaf|gabg ecAb|affa dedB|A2ge fd~d2|
faaf dfaf|gabg efdB|AFFG A2d’b|afea fd~d2:|

Always played as a double?

I wonder how often this tune is played as a single reel just as transcribed in O’Neill. It’s recorded as a double on at least three recordings I own.

Anyway, here’s a neat version of the tune based on the playing of Ballymote concertina player Mairead Hurley.

K: Dmaj
|:D2ED FAAf|gefd edBd|BAFB ABdf|(3gfe fd edBd|
D2ED FAAf|gefd edBd|BAFB ABdf|1 afeg fdAF:|2 afeg fede||
|:f2df e2ce|dfed BAFA|DFAd FAdf|(3gfe fd edBd|
f2df e2ce|dfed BAFA|DFAd FAdf|1 afeg fede:|2 afeg fdAF||

You can actually listen to her play it with some variation:
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thebloomofyouth/rams/2007/4august.smil (the set starting around 53:00)
From The Bloom of Youth 2007: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thebloomofyouth

Another 3rd part

I played another 3rd part in the setting on my CD “Dragon Reels”. I got it from a house concert tape of Kevin Burke, Dale Russ, and Tom Creagan.


~f2af dfaf|~g2fg e~B3|f~d3 Adfd|ceae c/d/e ae|
~f2af dfaf|~g2fg e~B3|A~F3 ABdf|afeg f~d3:||

Roger Landes

Another flute setting I just transcribed for a friend, sort of second-hand from Mike Rafferty, with yet another slightly different B part. Long cran on the starting D.

X:1
T:Flax in Bloom
R:Irish reel
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
|: D2DD ADFA | fedf edB2 | AFFF dfaf | gefd edBA |
| D2DD ADFA | f2ff edB2 | AFFF ABdf | afeg fede |
|: f2ff egfe | dedA BAFA | DFAD FAdf | gefd edBd |
| fedf edce | d3A BAFA | DFAD FAdf | afeg fed2 :|

Líon

Want to see the Flax bloom beautifully blue?
Buy a packet of flax seeds from a reputable food shop and broadcast them on any rough ground. They grow very tall so they prefer sheltered grassland types of ‘habitat’ but, provided you don’t live in Arizona or Greenland, or the birds don’t eat them all first, you’re bound to get some results.

Linnen thread:
http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/flax-plant.html

Irish Native Linum spp.;
http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/plant_detail.php?id_flower=96&wildflower=Flax,%20Fairy

ANOTHER version? Why not?

I think this is pretty close to the version played on Brendan Mulvihill’s album, “The Flax In Bloom.” He plays a two part version, but I’ve written in his variations -- he’s such a brilliant player!


X: 1
T: The Flax in Bloom
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
D2 (3FED FAAf|gefd edBd|A F3 DFAF|
GEFD E A,3|DEFA d f3|g3 f fedB|(3 BcB FB ABde|faea fdAF||
D2 (3FED FAAf|gefd edBd|ADFA dfaf|gefd e B3|
ADFA DFAd|gefd edBd|(3ABA FB ABde|faea fdde||f3 ffec A|d3 A BAFA|
DFAd FAdf|gefd e B3|fagf egfe|d3 A BAFA|DFAc defg|afeg fdde||
f3 ffec A|d3 A BAFA|DFAd FAdf|gefd e B3|fagf egfe|d3 A BAFA|
DFAc defg|afeg fdAF||D2 (3FED FAAf|gefd edBd|A F3 DFAF|
GEFD E A,3|DEFA d f3|g3 f fedB|(3 BcB FB ABde|faea fdAF||
D2 (3FED FAAf|gefd edBd| A F3 DFAF|
GEFD E A,3|DEFA d f3|g3 f fedB|(3 BcB FB ABde|faea fdde||
f3 f g3 g|a3 A BAFA|DFAd FAdf|gefd e B3|fagf egfe|
d3 A BAFA|DFAc defg|ageg fd de||f3 ffec A|d3 A BAFA|
DFAd FAdf|gefd e B3|fagf egfe|d3 A BAFA|DFAc defg|afeg fd d2||

Posted by .

The Marquis of Huntley ?

Is this tune also the strathspey The Marquis of Huntley’s Highland Fling?

A fiddler at our session plays this tune as a hornpipe and it sounds great.

The Flax In Bloom, X:11

This is a three part setting of this great tune. I got it from Roger Landes, who recorded it with John Whelan on the Dragon Reels album (https://thesession.org/recordings/535). Roger had posted the 3rd part in the comments above, saying that he got it from a house concert recording of Kevin Burke, Dale Russ, and Tom Creagan. So I edited it into a full setting (and changed it to the way that I play it).