The Golden Eagle hornpipe

I love this hornpipe because it stand out and sounds like no other. Keiran Hanrahan was the first person I heard playing this and fell in love with it striaght away.Not the easiest tune to play on the Banjo for people with small fingers.

i first heard this on the kevin/seamus glackin album and it’s paired with the galway hornpipe.
it’s a pleasant tune,i think.
worth playing just to see the look on the guitarist’s face (those who claim to be able to back a tune that they’ve never heard before) but it usually ends in disaster.

This hornpipe is one that many culture (ireland,scotland,shetland) claim.Some people ascribe it to James Hill of Gateshead though GrahamDixon does not include it in his authorative catelogue "The Lads like beer".
By its feel, its a late nineteenth century tune, so it should be possible to track down an original composer and nail down its origins.

The Blackberry Blossom by Mary MacNamara

Does anybody have their own take on this, or a transcription from someone else’s playing of it? That would be a plus addition, very welcomed.

It is a reasonable courtesy to ask ~ that if one copies from somewhere else, whether it is a book or ripped off ABCs from elsewhere on the Internet ~ please show a little respect and credit your sources… This identical transcription can also be found in Richard Robinson’s collection of ABCs:

Richard Robinson’s Tunebook
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTuneBk/tunebook.html

"The Golden Eagle"
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTuneBk/gettune/000008f0.html

http://www.rogermillington.com/tunetoc/goldeneagle.html

X: 2
T: Golden Eagle, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: Gmaj
|: {A/-} B>A |\
G>BD>G [B,B]>D (3GAB | d>G (3Bcd g>ba>g | f>Ae>d c>FB>A | (3GAG A>G F>D (3cBA |
G>BD>G [B,B]>DG>B | d>G (3Bcd g>ba>g | f>ed>^c =c>FB>A | (3GAG F>A G2 :|
|: (3b^ab |\
b>B^d>f b>ag>f | e>^de>f g>^fg>^g | a>A^c>e a>g (3gfe | (3ded ^c>e d2 a>b |
c’>af>d ^c>de>f | g>^fg>a b2 a>g | f>ed>^c =c>FB>A | (3GAG F>A G2 :|

Almost forgot my promise to offer up a dinxterless (>) version…

X: 3
T: Golden Eagle, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: Gmaj
|: BA |\
GBDG [B,B]DGB | dGBd gbag | fAed cFBA | GDAG FDcA |
GBDG [B,B]DGB | dGBd gbag | fed^c =cFBA | G2 FA G2 :|
|: b^a |\
bB^df bagf | e^def gfg^g | aA^ce agfe | dA^ce d2 ab |
c’afd ^cdef | gfga b2 ag | fed^c =cFBA | G2 F2 G2 :|

Luke Daniels does a nice version

I’ve just been reading the liner notes on Paddy Hayes’ Return to Kilty album and it says he wrote the Golden Eagle. I never knew that before!

Is it widely known that dear Paddy wrote this?

The Golden Eagle appears in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection and pre dates Paddy Hayes by about a century. So no, it’s not only not known he composed the tune, it’s also not true.

Thanks! Got that sorted and learnt about a previously unkown collection of tunes.

I’m really liking this one at the moment, I love any opportunity to play crisp tongued triplets. The recording of Donncha O Briain that the Prof links to above is gorgeous and although I’m not doing a note-by-note copy I like to put a bit more bounce into the tune like he did, although I can’t play it quite so fast!

the best way to play this hornpipe is very very softly in your head (like faintly tinkling fairy bells) at midnight at the end of a long happy sunny day, while counting the stars in the milky way on your virtual desktop wallpaper. :- )

http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/Raptors/GoldenEagle/tabid/1049/Default.aspx
reintroduced in 2001 if I remember well, after an absence of 200 years.

Blazin’ Fiddles have a great version in their album "Thursday Night in the Caley"

I would be happy to add my interpretation to this list, but I do not know ABC. I would be willing to send a MIDI copy or a Finale copy.
thestonecrusher@gmail.com

"worth playing just to see the look on the guitarist’s face (those who claim to be able to back a tune that they’ve never heard before) but it usually ends in disaster."
Quite true, so hopefully this chord progression will be of some benefit to accompanists…..

||: G | | D |G D |
G | | D | G :||
||: B7 | Em | A7 |D7 |
D7 | G | D | G :||

A bit of harmless fun in Bb 😀