Dowd’s No. 9 reel

This tune is often attributed to John O’Dowd; the Sligo fiddler. No one knows if there were eight other tunes or not, and if there were they appear to be forever lost. John O’Dowd was the uncle of Joe O’Dowd, and thus the great-uncle of Seamus O’Dowd of the group Dervish.

Up Arigna!

Here’s Brian Conway’s take on the tune, transcribed from his First Through the Gate cd.

X: 1
T: Dowd’s Number Nine
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
D: First Through the Gate, Brian Conway
K: Dmaj
|DFAF GFEF|DEFA dABG|FGAF GFGB|AG F/E/D A,CEC|
|DFAF GFEF|D3c dABG|FGAF GFGB|AG F/E/D A,CEC|
|D~F3 GFEF|D3c dABG|FGAF GFGB|AG F/E/D A,CEC|
|DFAF GFEF|DEFA dABG|FGAF GFGB|AGFD EF D2 ||
|fd d/d/d g2 ag|f~d3 cdeg|fdAd gfec|dcde fdd2 |
|fgaf gbeg|fedf ecAF|G2 B/A/G FAdB|AGFD EF D2 |
|fd d/d/d g2 ag|f~d3 cdeg|fdAd gfec|dcde fdd2 |
|f/f/g af gbeg|fedf ecAF|G2 B/A/G FAdB|AGFD A,CEC||

I have a great version of this in B flat, which I got from Seamus Connoly.

I was listening to Ceili House, where Joe Burke gave a short introduction to this tune, saying of John O’Dowd that he was a "great fiddle player" "who died in the 1930’s in America".

I googled the name and found a thread on chiff and fipple where it was stated that he was a man "of Knocknaskeagh, Co. Sligo of whom Coleman said ‘nobody could play the fiddle better than John O’Dowd’. The man was born around 1860."

Harry Bradley writes:

The perceived loss of O’Dowd’s other tunes (at least 8 others) was a source of some depression among Irish musicians given the quality of his "No.9". That is, until Ciaran Carson as a result of his literary musings, discovered that the title probably refers to a defunct brand of whiskey! Suddenly it all made sense.

Could Mr. Carson perhaps be refering to "Downes No. 9", which is still blended in an over 200 year old Waterford pub?

I shamefully admit I haven’t learned this great tune yet, but found a similar traditional tune called "The Hornless Cow": https://thesession.org/tunes/2825

As heard played by a fluter at my session, approximately.

X:1
K:d
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
|:DF~F2 G2FE| D2FA BGAG|F2AF GABG|FAGE FDD2|
DF~F2 G2FE| D2FA BGAG|F2AF GABG|ABde fdd2:|
|:fd~d2 g2ag|fedf ecBA|dfaf gfeg |fedf ecBA|
fd~d2 g2ag|fedf ecBA|F2AF GABG|ABde fdd2:|

Here’s a lovely session version from Malloy’s. The 2nd tune

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLBFaqZM2Bc

play video

I heard another legend that the title refers to Dowd’s apartment number: #9.

Transcribed from Paddy Cronin’s album ‘Kerry’s Own’. Although as mentioned elsewhere, he plays this in C on the recording with lower tuned fiddle, I’ve put the transcription in D. Tonally different from the other settings here due to the awesome bluesy c naturals in the B part. I have put in the most common ornaments that I can hear in the recording.