Mama’s Pet reel

Of course, this is not the one previously posted here and, I think, more widely played as Mama’s Pet.

This version is “mostly” based on Kevin Crawford’s playing, which I like the best. But it originally comes from the renowned flute player, Eddie Moloney from East Galway.

While Michael McGoldrick plays this tune between Rathlin Island and Sailor on the Rock, I’ve been playing after Tommy Peoples’ in G. It’s a lovely set.

This great flute tune appears on Catherine and John McEvoy’s recent album. Interestingly, Catherine’s version comes from East Galway and is in fact associated with Eddie Moloney. Michael McGoldrick’s version is also very similar, and I believe it can also be traced back to Eddie Moloney: M. McGoldrick writes he learned it from Frankie Gavin’s playing.

P.S. Sorry for my fragile English in the previous comment. Still not perfect though. And sorry for having posted this tune in D.

I just learnt a fiddle variant of this from someone at my local session. It goes down low in the A-part and is single w/o repeats, not double:

X: 1
T: Mama’s Pet
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
G2FG EG DF|G2AG DGBA|G2FG EGDG|(3Bcd ed BAGF|
GEED EDB,A,|G,B,~B,2 G,B,DF|G2FG EGDA|(3Bcd ed Bdgf||
eA (3cBA EAcA|BG~G2 DGBd|eA (3cBA EAcA|(3Bcd ed Bdgf|
e2dg egdB|~G3A BABd|edef g2af|g2fg edBA||

Compare Dow’s version with this one: https://thesession.org/tunes/1290

Both tunes get played at our session, but I’m told that this one with the Ador B-part is an older setting than the one in Yamadasan’s link. Can anyone confirm this?

It seems the version with both parts in Gmaj was originally a very local East Galway setting, played by Eddie Moloney of Ballinakill. Kevin Crawford, Michael McGoldrick, Frankie Gavin, Catherine McEvoy, and many others recorded and popularised Eddie Moloney’s setting of the tune. Most of them mention Eddie as the direct or indirect source in the notes.

When I visited a friend a couple of weeks ago, I found he had Joe Burke’s flute recording “The Tailor’s Choice.” As a man from East Galway, Burke in fact plays this Ballinakill version in the Moloneys’ style. Here’s the East Galway version of “The Sailor on the Rock”: https://thesession.org/tunes/765#comment166939 M. McGoldrick and Frankie Gavin play it after Mama’s Pet.

Another interesting version: https://thesession.org/tunes/902/comments

Gosh!!! I’ve just found a sound clip of Eddie Moloney himself playing this reel: http://www.lafferty.ca/music/irish/flute-geezers/edmaloney2.mp3 (From Rich Lafferty’s Flute Tape Page: http://www.lafferty.ca/music/irish/flute-geezers) Now you see Mike Rafferty’s style originally comes from the Moloneys of Ballinakill.

I’ve just painstakingly noted the abc for the version that goes along with the Sunny Banks on this album. I probably missed the ornaments, but I think that the transcription is pretty close. I’m somewhat baffled by the c situation. It seems to be midway between cnatural and c#.
T:Mama’s Pet
M:4/4
L:1/8
T:Mama’s Pet
D:Mountain Road (Sligo)
R:reel
K:Gmaj
G2FG EG DE|G2BG dGBG|G2FG EFGA|(3Bcd ed (3Bcd AB|
FEED EDBA|GB B2 GB B2|FEED EFGA||(3Bcd ed (3Bcd gf||
eAA2 eAA2| B~G3|DGBd|eAA2 eAA2| (3Bcd ed (3Bcd gf|
e2dg edBA|~G3A BABd|edef gfge|g2fg edBA||

Already here: https://thesession.org/tunes/902

It seems Michael Coleman recorded and popularised this Sligo version in 60’s. Joe Burke insists the East Galway version I happened to post is the original and older than the Sligo version. We need to take his comment with a grain of salt simply because he’s a Galway man!

I only heard the Sligo version played by Tyrone fiddler John Weir on the radio around a couple of years ago. He has made a beautiful recording called “An Tris Is A Rian” with Claire Keville and Eithne Ni Dhonaile.

This is not the same version at all as what I just transcribed

I tend to agree with Slainte that the tune Andreal posted is basically the same as #902 in the link above. I can see where there are big differences in the setting but same idea.
BTW the “c” situation especially in some older recordings is sometimes referred to as ‘supernatural’ as it isn’t quite natural and isn’t quite up to the sharp either.

“Andreal”, I never suggested the version you posted above and those JMH and Dow had done are identical. But they are all from Sligo, so why not put your valueble contribution on the comments of the other one?

For anyone who cares, the “Mama’s Pet” that appears on Cathal McConnell’s “Long Expectant Comes at Last” is a jig, and as far as I can gather has no connections to the reel version posted here. From what the liner notes say, the “Mama’s Pet” that he plays comes from “Sean MacAloon, a piper and fiddler from Altawalk, Roslea, Co. Fermanagh”, and there is a song connected with it that is about a man who tries to escape his wife by fleeing to Scotland.

I play this reel after Eddie Maloney’s No.2.
It goes well with any tune in E min.

But Michael Coleman died in 1945 didn’t he?

Good man, Paddy. Sorry for my disinterest in Sligo fiddle music. But it is true Coleman recorded and popularised the Sligo version which is different from the East Galway flute version I posted.

Here’s another transcription of the Sligo version: https://thesession.org/tunes/1290#comment213424

And you can watch and listen to Antón MacGabhann play a similar version: http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_202_1_anton_mac_gabhann/

Antón MacGabhann = Tony Smith

He recorded this tune in New York in 1921 according to the notes in the tune book The Mountain Road, notation of tunes from the cd of the same name. On that cd it is played after The Sunny Banks.

“For anyone who cares, the ”Mama’s Pet“ that appears on Cathal McConnell’s ”Long Expectant Comes at Last“ is a jig, and as far as I can gather has no connections to the reel version posted here. ”

The jig “Mama’s Pet” on Cathal McConnell’s ’Long Expectant Comes at Last" is posted here: https://thesession.org/tunes/8646

is from the flute playing of Gabriel O’Sullivan (1979).

This tune was recorded in September 1922 by Frank Quinn (1893-1964) of Greagh, Drumlish, Co. Longford entitled “Casey at the Party”.

Here is what I heard Eddie Maloney playing on the “Flute Geezers” tape, except
I have added concertina ornaments (but they would work on most instruments).

This appears in O’Neill’s Dance Music of Ireland - 1001 Gems (1907), p. 108, no. 591, as Downing’s Reel, Cor Uí Duibnaig.
According to tunearch.org, this tune is also known as Timothy Downing, Peata Mamai, Mama’s Pet, Mammy’s Pet, The First House in Connaught.

A very nice setting that I learned from John Carty.

A setting from John and Maggie Carty. This one is a version from East Galway

A version taught by Mirella Murray at O’Flaherty’s 2020.