Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID#102 (Ballinasloe Fair)
about these two barsThese two bars were transcribed by me from how this tune was played – the first time through – on the recording MC (details in the Discography below).
| Rhythm ? | Bars | 8-bar phrase structure | Mode ? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reel | 24 | ABB | A Dorian |
Titles given to this tune in the sources listed below (plus notes of mine about this tune):
Ballinasloe Fair / The Ballinasloe Fair / The Fair of Ballinasloe / Aonach Bhéal Átha na Slua (2nd in set Lord McDonald a.k.a. Lord McDonald's on MC) (also both parts singled)
Discography
Here are all recordings of this tune considering only the indexed recordings. I have discovered by careful listening that these sources are in fact musically the same tune, regardless of the tune titles they use, key changes, retuning, etc.
Click 
to hear the first 10 seconds.
to hear the first 10 seconds.| Year Recorded |
Track #Tune? |
[Album code] Artist. Title. Performers (instruments). |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 1.1#2 | [MC] Michael Coleman. Michael Coleman 1891-1945. Michael Coleman (fiddle). |
| 1927 | 4#2 | [WW 1] The Wheels of the World. Early Irish-American Music. Classic Recordings from the 1920s and 1930s. Vol. 1. Michael Coleman (fiddle). |
| 1928 | 7#2 | [BFair] Ballinasloe Fair. Early Recordings of Irish Music in America. Packie Dolan (fiddle) and the Melody Boys. |
| 1928 | 20#2 | [WW 1] The Wheels of the World. Early Irish-American Music. Classic Recordings from the 1920s and 1930s. Vol. 1. Packie Dolan (fiddle). |
| 1928 | 24#2 | [MG] Milestone at the Garden. Irish Fiddle Masters from the 78 RPM Era. Packie Dolan [Patrick Dolan]. |
| 1960 | 2.14#2 | [SltSdt] Seoltaí Séidte. Setting Sail. Paddy Canny (fiddle). |
| 1966 | 8#7 | [BC 3] Bobby Casey. The Spirit of West Clare. Bobby Casey (fiddle, whistle). |
| 1967 | 16#2 | [PitS] Paddy in the Smoke. Bobby Casey (fiddle). |
| ~1973 | 2.22#2 | [FTIM] Festival of Traditional Irish [Music]. Discs 7 and 8 of Celtic Souls. Irish Celtic Ballads & Traditional Music. Joe Burke (accordion). |
| ~1979 | 14#2 | [FR] Joe Burke, Andy McGann, and Felix Dolan. The Funny Reel. Traditional Music of Ireland. Joe Burke (accordion), Andy McGann (fiddle), Felix Dolan (piano). |
| 1990 | 1#2 | [MLIIA] The Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival - My Love Is in America. (mass fiddles). |
| ~2006 | 4#2 | [HB 3] Harry Bradley. The Night-Rambler's Companion. Harry Bradley (flute, whistle). |
Bibliography
Here are all transcriptions of this tune considering only the indexed books, listed in chronological order. I have discovered by careful comparison that these are very similar to this tune as played on the recordings listed above.
| As tune #1285 in [1850] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. |
| As tune #550 in [1001] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. The Dance Music of Ireland. 1001 Gems. |
| On page 47 of [RM] Randy Miller and Jack Perron. Irish Traditional Fiddle Music. |
| On page 111 of [Krsn] Miles Krassen. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. New and Revised. |
| As tune #51 in [LPF] Eithne and Brian Vallely. Learn to Play the Fiddle with Armagh Pipers Club. |
If you are considering using the above transcriptions to help you learn this tune, I invite you to check these practical Tips for Learning Irish Traditional Music. See also: So why do you bother indexing books and abc?
Year of the oldest source for this tune, considering the recordings and transcriptions listed above (note that I concentrate on sources after 1900): 1903