This popular jig is from co. Clare. Sometimes called “The Clare” or “The Club CéiliJig” and played as a slide, “The Old Favorite” is sometimes referred to as a “jiggy slide” since it can go either way. Usually played in G, it can also be played in Gaeol for a very different feel. As for its name, there was a working class pub called “The Favourite” on Holloway Road in North London. It was open from 1964 to 1980, and was a popular meeting place for the Irish men working in London because it had a Sunday morning session run by fiddler Jimmy Power and box/piano player Reg Hall – it was so popular that it was said “you couldn’t visit London without stopping by for a tune!” Power would call up musicians he’d recognize to play a few. The session could last until the afternoon. One result was that many wives were none-too-happy with their husbands for skipping dinner (i.e., lunch). Packie Manus Byrne attended that session sometimes as well. The pub was the location for the much-loved live field-recording Paddy in the Smoke (1968/1997) – well worth a listen.
The Old Favorite (G)
Kilfenora Ceili Band, Clare Ceili
This popular jig is from co. Clare. Sometimes called “The Clare” or “The Club Céili Jig” and played as a slide, “The Old Favorite” is sometimes referred to as a “jiggy slide” since it can go either way. Usually played in G, it can also be played in Gaeol for a very different feel. As for its name, there was a working class pub called “The Favourite” on Holloway Road in North London. It was open from 1964 to 1980, and was a popular meeting place for the Irish men working in London because it had a Sunday morning session run by fiddler Jimmy Power and box/piano player Reg Hall – it was so popular that it was said “you couldn’t visit London without stopping by for a tune!” Power would call up musicians he’d recognize to play a few. The session could last until the afternoon. One result was that many wives were none-too-happy with their husbands for skipping dinner (i.e., lunch). Packie Manus Byrne attended that session sometimes as well. The pub was the location for the much-loved live field-recording Paddy in the Smoke (1968/1997) – well worth a listen.
For the ABC click Old Favourite
The Old Favorite, slow tempo
The Old Favorite, med tempo (fiddle, Glen Pekin)
The Old Favorite, the dots
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