West Clare reel

Learned from Noel Hill at his Irish Concertina School Midwest in Cincinnati, OH August 2002. Noel plays this with a heavily dotted rhythm, almost like a hornpipe.

I believe this shows up on Flook’s Flatfish album as "West Clare Reel" as well. It’s the second tune in the "Eb Reels" set.

Also, on the MadForTrad.com Whistle tutorial, with Brian Finnegan, it’s the first tune he plays as his "performance" part of the "About the Tutor" section.

Also very similar to the West Clare Reel in D minor as played by Martin Hayes on his cd Under the Moon.

This is my favourite tune at the moment. What a simple, mighty reel! I learned a version of the tune in West Clare a couple of weeks ago and changed it a little referring to Catherine and John McEvoy’s flute and fiddle duet playing. My version goes like this:

K: Ador
egdB A2AG|EA~A2 ABcd|e2dB ABAG|EGGF GABd:|
e2ge edBd|eA~A2 eA~A2|e2ge edBd|d2ef g2fg:|

There’re numerous possibilities for variations. For example, we may play eBdB instead of egdB or e2dB just like Catherine and John do. I like their variation on the second bar of the second part: they play |ea~a2 ea~a2| when they repeat the second half of the tune.

Isn’t "The West Clare" following "Dan Breen’s" on Catherine and John’s recording? Does anyone have the abcs for that tune?

Hold on, it’s on Maeve Donnelly’s recording, "The Thing Itself." Does anyone have the abcs anyway?

There would appear to be more than 1 reel called "The West Clare". The tune by that name on the Donnelly/O’Loughlin recording is "A Fair Wind", which is closely related to "Rip The Calico".

You mean that’s the real name of that tune on Meave and Peadar’s CD, Kenny? Do you have the abcs man?

I just found it in the tunes section, but I’m wondering is it Peadar’s setting or not.

I’ll try to check it out for you tonight ,Jack.

The reel played after “Dan Breen’s” which is listed as “The West Clare” reel is indeed the one I know as “A Fair Wind”. The sleeve notes to the Donnelly/O’Loughlin recording state that Seamus Ennis knew it as “A Fair Wind”, and it is also in one of Breandan Breathnach’s books by that name. In the comments to this tune as posted here, gian marco’s abcs are more the way I play it than the version in the “dots”. The same reel has also been posted as “The Fair Wind”, but in the key of “A”.

Here’s the link to the video clip of McEvoys playing the set: http://www.custysmusic.com/mall/CustysTraditionalMusicShop/catherine_and_john_mcevoy.htm

Great link, thanks for posting it!
Lesl

This tune is also known as Kevin Burke’s on Dervish’s "Spirit" album. Here is a simplified transcription of their arrangement w/o any ornamentation:

X: 1
T:Kevin Burke’s Reel
M:C|
L:1/8
R:Reel
K:ADor
|: egdB A2 AG | EA AG A2 Bd | egdB A2 AG | EGGF G2 Bd :|
|: e2 eg edBd | eA A2 AG Bd | e2 eg edBe |1 d2 ef g2 fg :|2 dg ed gb fg :|

Submitted (as a ‘Gan Ainm’) on June 16th 2006 by PaddyCmusic.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5868

K: A Dorian
|: Bd |
~e2 dB ~A3 G | EAAG ~A2 Bd | ~e2 dB ~A3 G | EGGF ~G2 :|
|: Bd |
~e3 d edBd | eaag ea ~a2 | ~e3 d edBd | (3Bcd ef g2 :|

It resolves not on the final g2 of bar 8 of the B-part, but on either an e, the dominant of A Dorian, or on A… Classic would be to catch the e and then drop down to the A…

I like Ed Boyds guitar sound when going into this tune. I believe he’s in DADGAD but not quite sure of capo positon. Someone has said capo 3.

My version on the Nintendo DS:
http://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPage.do?ToId=12246&Path=1501909102008113522.mp3

Kevin Burke has recorded this tune under ‘The Shepherd’s daughter’ on Up Close (which has only a few bars in common w the version given at: https://thesession.org/tunes/1313)

One might want to move from ‘the West Clare reel’ to ‘The West Clare Railway’ https://thesession.org/tunes/10091
I like the abrupt drop this set creates; though the shared key, mode and meter makes the two reels perhaps sound too similar for contrast (if contrast is what is sought)

X:1
T:Brian Finnegan’s
S:Gabe McVarish. Fiddle Workshop. Skye. July 2004.
M:4/4
R:Reel
K:A
|: f2 ec ~B3 A | FB (3BBB Bcde | f2 ed ~B3 A | EA (3AAA ABce :|
|: ~f3 f fece | fB (3BBB fece | ~f3 f fece | (3ffe ge a z e2 :|

Mighty version here. It’s the last tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRXe_HFvQ0g

play video

^ with the Vallely Brothers & Tiarnan O Duinnchinn

Why do some of you deside it’s in A dor and some in G maj? Puzzled…

Regarding A dorian vs G major:

Deciding on the tonic (A or G) is a matter of interpretation. Most tunes have a definite tonic, so the choice is easy. However, many Irish tunes are more ambiguous and often do not resolve to the tonic at the end of the tune. This tune is particularly ambiguous because the first two measures of each part sound like they resolve to A but the last two measures of each part sound like they resolve to G. When I looked at the dots for this tune, I first thought it was in G, but after hearing it, I decided that A was the better choice. I’m not sure I can explain why. Perhaps because an A minor chord works for 3 of the 4 measures in each part? Perhaps because 2-1 harmony (if G is the tonic) is less common than 1-7 harmony (if A is the tonic) in Irish music?

Perhaps you already know, but the dorian vs major question is more about the scale (which notes are used) and the implied harmony.