Tag Archives: Tune History
Calliope House
The jig “Calliope House” was composed in the open air by the English mandolin, banjo, and concertina player Dave Richardson (of The Boys of the Lough).  Originally in E,  this tune was thus outside the range of traditional flutes, whistles, and pipes. It has since been transposed and is now in sessions most commonly played in D. […]
Willafjord (D)
Willafjord is the Shetland reel often played in Scottish sessions with Spootiskerry. This tune is in Tom Andersonâs Haand me doon da fiddle  (1981) tune book, where he writes (in dialect): If du imagines some een gaen wij wan fit ida stank an de idder een on a broo an gaein a lunk as dey go alang, […]
Far From Home (G)
There is some confusion about the reel “Far From Home” (G). Some say it was written in 1998, some say it is much older. The latter are correct. I know because the tune is #1261 in OâNeillâs 1850 (1903). Some say the tune is from Shetland, while others deny it. It does seem odd that […]
Da Rodd ta Houll (D)
“Da Rodd ta Houll” is a Shetland reel in D, also called âDa Road to Hull.â It was written by Shetland fiddler Tom Anderson (1910-1991) who once stated (in dialect): “Dis tun was written in 1936 whin I came up to Unst to visit a schoolmaister friend oâ mine. It happened ât dat moarnin wis […]
The Bonnie Isle Oâ Whalsay (A)
The reel “The Bonnie Isle Oâ Whalsay” has sundry variations. This is (arguably) a Shetland reel, as Whalsay is a small island in the Shetlands.  Of course, a tune and its name can have very different origins, so tune names alone are a poor basis for determining tune ontogeny.  However, this tune does also have a certain Shetlandishness about it, […]
 Drowsy Maggie (Edor)
“Drowsy Maggie” is a very popular reel at sessions all over the world. Itâs #1425 in OâNeillâs 1850 â i.e., O’Neill’s Music of Ireland (1903) â and so probably dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. However, thereâs not much clear information about the tuneâs origin or subsequent history. It should not be confused with a set […]
The Wise Maid (D)
The reel known as “The Wise Maid” seems to date only from the 1970s, but is now in the top twenty most widely-known Irish reels in the world. The well-known whistle player Larry McCullough, in his The Complete Irish Tinwhistle Tutor (1987), attributes the tune to the Ardara, Co. Donegal, fiddler John Doherty (1900-1980), as does accordionist […]
The Banshee (G)
The reel entitled “The Banshee” is a session favorite pretty much everywhere. It was composed by James McMahon (b. â1900 – Dec. 1980 RIP), a flute player originally from South Fermanagh, in Northern Ireland.  He married Rose Tally, eventually moved to Belfast, and became an influential flute player there in the 1960’s.  He composed several other […]
Child of My Heart (Aaeol)
“Child of My Heart” is a single jig, #1095 in OâNeillâs 1850 (1903) and #395 in OâNeill 1001 (1907). According to the Fiddlerâs Companion, the tune was picked up by Capt. Francis OâNeill from John Ennis, the piper and flute player from County Kildare who had himself gotten it from a nameless player who was […]