The Shan Van Vocht reel

T:The shan van vocht
M:4/4
L:1/4
S:The penny whistle book Robin Williamson 1977 Oak Publications
K:Gmaj

boisei0 - I suggest you alter your abc text for a default note length of 1/8, as this is how the database is set up. You can cut and paste the following into the abc editor in place of your original one:

d2c2 | BGAB GE (3DEG | A2A2A2 dc | BGAB GFED |
E2G2G2 :||: AB | c2cd e2fg | dBAG A2 GA|
BdAB GFED| E2A2A2 dc | BGAB GEDE | GGG:|

This tune sounds like a set dance. Does Robin Williamson give any more information about it in the book?

It shares it’s name with at least one other tune (although no discernible musical connection):
https://thesession.org/tunes/1599

and it reminds me in parts of this one:

https://thesession.org/tunes/1668

“granama,” this is actually a song melody. I’m now listening to Frank Harte singing the song: http://www.uhb.fr/Langues/Cei/shanvan.htm Lovely Dublin accent!

It’s on “Journey: the Best of Donal Lunny,” but the track comes from “1798 - The First Year of Liberty”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1798_-_The_First_Year_Of_Liberty

You may also want to list it as An tSean Bhean Bhocht. Also look at the three part hornpipe of the same name and family.

“three part hornpipe of the same name and family”

Kilfarboy - I couldn’t find any musical similarity between these two tunes.

Michael Tubridy as 3 settings of the melody in Craobh Naithi’s tunebook. They are:-

T:An tSean-Bhean Bhocht
R:air
S:Traditional Irish Music, Book 1, page 17
M:2/4
L:1/8
K:G
DE|DG AG|E2 DE|G2 G2|G2 GA|
BG AG|E2 DE|A2 A2|A2 GA|
BA Bd|e2 ge|eB AG|A2 GA|
BG AG|E2 DE|G2 G2|G2||

T:Bantry Bay
R:hornpipe
S:Traditional Irish Music, Book 1, page 17
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:G
A|B>GA>G E>GD>G|G2 G>F G>BA>G|E>AA>B c>BA>G|A/B/A G>B A3 B|\
c>ec>e B>dB>d|A>BA>G E/G/E D2|B>GA>GE>GD>E|G2 G>F G3::\
B|d2 e>B d>BG>B|e2 e>d e3 f|g>fe>d B>GB>d|g/a/g f>a g2 e>f|\
g>bg>f e>ge>d|B>GA>G E/F/E D2|B>GA>G E>GD>E|G2 G>F G3:|

T:Tomeen O’Dea’s Reel
R:Reel
S:Traditional Irish Music, Book 1, page 17
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:G
GA|BGAG EGDG|EAAG A2 GA|BGAG EGDG|EG G2 EG G2|
BGAG EGDG|EAAG A2 GA|BGAG EGDG|EG G2 EGGD||
G2 Bd eBdB|GBdB BAAB|G2 Bd edBc|dBAc BGGD|
G2 Bd eBdB|GBdB BAAB|G2 Bd edBc|gbaf gedc||

The Shan Van Vocht
https://thesession.org/tunes/2459

A versatile melody for different rhythms. I’ve linked this tune to CRE5.84, which is a polka and Johnny Leary’s collection (#351) - he played it as a single part hornpipe. To my ear it sounds remarkably like the tune for the song “Shearing’s No for You”.

I looked for the title of the tune, as Beethoven did arrange it, and didn’t find it either here or on Tunearch, so I’ve transcribed the tune directly from Clinton (no. 26) except for the fermatas. The title might be easily confused with either “The Merry Old Woman” or “Get Up Old Woman And Shake Yourself,” but the tune seems to be neither of these.

Version arranged by Beethoven in Beethoven’s 12 Irish Songs, WoO 154, no. 3 under the title “The Farewell Song.”

Lyrics by William Smyth (1765 - 1849):

O Erin! To thy harp divine
I bid adieu:
Yet let me now its sounds resign
With homage due.
Thy gen’rous sons, that know not fear,
Their feelings, genius, fire:
O blest be all! But Erin dear,
Be blest thy lyre.

O where the heart that would not bound
With answering beat,
To hear thy Planxty’s dancing sound,
And numbers sweet.
And where the heart that sinks not low,
And musing melts away,
To hear thy harp’s deep lonely flow,
When mourns the lay.

No toil can e’er such sweets supply
No chymic power,
As brings me bee, with honied thigh,
From wild heath flower:
And Science, that could wake the strings
To chords of rapture high.
May envy, while she smiling sings
Thy minstrelsy.

The Shan Van Vocht

The Shan Van Vocht indeed:
https://thesession.org/tunes/8825