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The Fair Wind reel

Also known as A Fair Wind, An Bóthar Garbh, Bóthar Garbh, Fairwind, Flanagan’s Favourite, Maeve’s Return, Mulhaire’s, The Rough Road, Sunday Bells, The West Clare.

There are 32 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with Dan Breen’s (a few times), The Bank Of Ireland (a few times), The Connemara Stockings (a few times) and The Westmeath Hunt (a few times).

The Fair Wind appears in 3 other tune collections.

The Fair Wind has been added to 13 tune sets.

The Fair Wind has been added to 274 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Six settings

1
X: 1
T: The Fair Wind
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
|: A3E A3B | cBAB cBBc | A3E A2AB |1 cBAF FEEE :|2 cBAF FEE2 ||
|: ceec A3B | c2ec dBBd | ceec A2AB |1 cABF FEEd :|2 cBAF FEE2 ||
|: AFFF d3B | cBAB cBBc |1 AFFF d2dB | cBAF FEE2 :|2 ce3 f2ec | BdcA BAFE ||
2
X: 2
T: The Fair Wind
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Emin
DGGF ~G3A|BAGA BA~A2|DGGF ~G3A|1 BAGE EDDE:|2 BAGE EDDA||
|:BddB ~G3A|BddB cAAc|BddB ~G3A|1 BAGE EDDA:|2 BAGE EDDE||
|:GE~E2 c3A|B2dB AcBA|GE~E2 c3A|1 BAGE EDDE:|2 BAGE EDDE||
# Added by fiel .
3
X: 3
T: The Fair Wind
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
~G3F ~G3A|BAGA BAAB|~G3E ~G3A|1BAGE EDDE:|2BAGE EDDc||
BcdB ~G3A|BcdB cAAc|BcdB ~G3A|1BAGE EDDc:|2BAGE EDDE||
GE~E2 ~c3A|BAGA BAAB|GE~E2 ~c3A|1BAGE EDDA:|2BAGE EDDE||
4
X: 4
T: The Fair Wind
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|: E | G2GG G3A | BAGA BAAB | G2GG G3A | BAGE EDD :|
|: A | BddB G3A | BddB cA~A2 | BddB G3A | BAGE EDD :|
|: E | GE~E2 c3A | BddB AcBA | GE~E2 c3A | BAGE EDD :|
5
X: 5
T: The Fair Wind
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|: B | d3d/d/ d3e | fede feef | d3d/d/ d3e | fedB BAA :|
|: e | faaf d3e | faaf ge~e2 | faaf d3e | fedB BAA :|
|: B | dB~B2 g3e | faaf egfe | dB~B2 g3e | fedB BAA :|
6
X: 6
T: The Fair Wind
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
|: A3E A3B | cBAB cB B2 | A3E A3B | cBAF FE E2 :||
|: ceec A3B | ceec dBBd | ceec A3B |1 cAAF FEEd :|2 cBAF FE E2 ||
|: AF F2 d3B | cBAB cB B2 | AF F2 d3B | cBAF FE E2 :||
# Added by JACKB .

Twenty comments

This is Tamalin’s version to Fair Wind; Dervish also play in their "Out on the Road" set- it’s the third tune, after Repeal of the Union. They play it in G major, I think, and slightly different. But I prefer the John McSherry way, so… 🙂 Enjoy!

Fair Wind

Good tune, I learned this in G. A works just as well. A real nice rattler on the Banjo.

A little nice tune. Easy to play yet very "dancant"(?)

Posted by .

DANSANT!

Posted by .

I love this little gem, I play it in D sometimes as well.

Fair Wind

Belfast band "Tamalin" recorded it in A.

Posted by .

T:A Fair Wind
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Dervish: "Midsunner’s Night"
R:reel
Z:g.m.p
K:G
~G3F ~G3A|BAGA BAAB|~G3E ~G3A|1BAGE EDDE:|2BAGE EDDc||
BcdB ~G3A|BcdB cAAc|BcdB ~G3A|1BAGE EDDc:|2BAGE EDDE||
GE~E2 ~c3A|BAGA BAAB|GE~E2 ~c3A|1BAGE EDDA:|2BAGE EDDE||

sounds a lot like "Rip the Calico", doesn’t it?

Err…so much so that I think it *is* Tear the Calico…well spotted!

i really like the third part

Posted by .

This does sound like Rip the Calico and yet definately is NOT Rip/Tear the Calico, at least not the Calico version the Bothy Band played.

The C-part of Fair Wind is the same as the B-Part in Rip the Calico, the other parts are different.

Compare: https://thesession.org/tunes/719

(The Fair WInd is also on Danu’s "Danu" album after Joe Bane’s.)

Same as Fair Wind in A major

This tune is in G major and it’s also listed in A major.
I learned it from Jack Gilder’s lovely playing in A.
It does not come up when you input Fairwind—too bad.

Posted by .

A fun tune, It also appears on "Midsummers Night" by dervish

Maeve’s Return

We play this tune in G at our sessions in Wellington (NZ) but know it as Maeve’s Return… slight variation but pretty much the same.

BTCpz: If you make allowance for the different tonality (D rather than G) the 3rd part of this reel is virtually the same as the 2d part of Rip The Calico; https://thesession.org/tunes/719 ..you might like that tune too.

Tannahill Weavers setting and more tune names

I learned this tune from the Tannahill Weavers recording under the name "Mulhaire’s" or "The Rough Road", and for the longest time I couldn’t find it on the Session.

The Tannies play it in D, to fit the GHB, while the local session I go to sometimes has played it in G. I’ve submitted settings in both keys.