The Lasses Of Ballintra reel

There is a possibility this is a duplication, but if I can get a name for it, great.

I was very lucky to meet Desi 30 years ago when Dougie McLean took him over to Scotland after meeting him in Brittany. [ The other visitor to Scotland on that trip was our own occasional contributer “Cos”, also from Belfast. ] Anyway, in 1995, I think it was, I met Desi at the Willie Clancy week. He was on his way to “Queally’s” after having been asked along to a session by Davy Spillane, so I tagged along. During the course of the session, Desi started off a few tunes himself, including this one. I’ve always meant to have a go at learning it, and thought I’d recognised it last week after hearing a very similar tune on the “Muintir Lewis” family recording, where it was called “The Mountain Dew”. I had a search here for a tune by that title, and it came up, but was the tune to the song sung by the Clancy Brothers, “The Rare Ould Mountain Dew”, not this reel. “Dow” had mentioned he would post the reel, but doesn’t seem to ever have gotten round to it. If you see this, Mark, I’d be interested to know if you think it’s the same tune. It’s quite similar to “The Mountain Dew” included in Breathnach’s CRE 1, but I can’t make my mind up whether or not it’s the same tune. A mighty flute tune, by anyone’s standards !

Yes, Desi Wilkinson is a grand player…and this is a lovely single reel… Thanks Kenny…

I have a recording of the “Mountain Dew” from Charlie Lennon. It is quite similar to this though he would be playing a full octave down. Brian McGrath & Johnny Connolly (Dreaming up the Tunes) played the same tune as Charlie did except in D. They also call it the Mountain Dew. Now, I can see this might be a higher octave flute setting but, then again, it could also be a completely different tune.

Sorry, I haven’t seemed to have help much!

Thanks, guys. Paddy, I’ll have a listen to the Connolly/McGrath recording. I’d forgotten it was on that. Cheers.

To my untutored ear this sounds like “The Mountain Road” by Michael Gorman submitted by Jeremy in 2001

It’s time to remove that ear hair again, hotspur. You can get special clipper things that won’t hurt you these days you know. Hee hee

I can see some similarity in the first part, but the 2nd part is totally different.

Dow, it’s past your bedtime!

What? ~ Dow sleep? ~ Whenever? ~ or is it a permanent sleep, he’s a somnambulist?

Connolly and McGrath’s “Mountain Dew” is a Charlie Lennon composition, Paddy. Different tune altogether from this one.

Ok, and that is obviously the tune Charlie himself plays on the album “Time for a Tune”.

Oh well, as usual, I’ll get back to you if I find anything. If there’s any research you’d like me to do in the archive, don’t hesitate to email me.

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on March 2nd 2008 by Tize.

X: 2
T: Gan Ainm
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: G Major
G3 B d2 Bd | edBG AGED | G3 B dGBd |[1 gbaf gedB :|[2 gbaf dg g2 ||
dg g2 bg g2 | agbg ageg | dg g2 bg g2 | gbag egge |
dg g2 bg g2 | agbg ageg | b2 af gfed | (3efg fa gedB |]

A reel I learned from Seamus Hynes - recorded, I think, as part of a set with Billy Brocker’s by Michael & Seamus Hynes on The Clare Tradition.

Posted as a response to this discussion: https://thesession.org/discussions/16890

# Posted on March 2nd 2008 by Tize

Published under this title in P.W. Joyce’s “Old Irish Folk Music and Song” in 1909. Joanie Madden used the “Ballintra” title on her solo whistle recording “A Whistle on the Wind.” It is the same as the Lewis family’s “Mountain Dew.”

Kenny, just suggestion you change the title 😉

Thanks, blarneystar. It is the same tune as Joanie Madden plays, and I’ve changed the title accordingly. Some slight differences from the Lewis family’s “Mountain Dew”, I’d say, though. If you think it’s the same tune, then you can add it as an alternative, but I’m not so sure.

This is on James Carty’s album as ‘Mulvihill’s’

On Peter Woodley "Flute Tunes album, this reel is called The Hedgehog https://thesession.org/recordings/4036