Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID# 137 (Behind the Haystack)

RhythmBars8-bar phrase structureMode
Double jig48AABBCCD Major
Transcription of first 2 bars of Behind the Haystack
 about these two bars

These two bars are the start of my transcription of how this tune was played – the first time through – on the recording MBP (details in the Discography below).

Where do you get the tune titles?
Titles given to this tune in the sources listed below (plus notes of mine about this tune):
Behind the Haystack / The Munster Buttermilk / An Bhláthach Mhuimhneach / Squeeze Your Thighs / Squeeze you Thights / Take Her or Leave Her / Barr na Feirste / Fill the Bag (2nd in set Munster Buttermilk Selection on CrssCl) (also in G, also with 2 or 3 more parts) (compare #1373)
What do the "track#tune" codes mean?

cd 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. They are listed in order of when they were recorded.

Year
Recorded
Track
#Tune
[Album code] Artist. Title. Primary musicians (instruments). Album details
and contents
19776#1[MBP] Matt Molloy, Paul Brady, Tommy Peoples. Matt Molloy. Paul Brady. Tommy Peoples. Matt Molloy (flute), Paul Brady (guitar, vocals), Tommy Peoples (fiddle).View album details
199913#2[CrssCl] Seamus Glackin, Brendan Begley, Michael O'Brien, Mary Corcoran, Mick Gaynor. Crossroads Céilí. Seamus Glackin (fiddle), Brendan Begley (accordion), Michael O'Brien (flute), Mary Corcoran (piano), Mick Gaynor (drums).View album details
20022#3[LAC] Tom and Kerry Barrett. Lios A'Cheoil. Traditional Irish Music. Tom Barrett (fiddle), Kerry Barrett (fiddle).View album details

Bibliography

Here are all transcriptions of this tune under any title whatsoever – 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 #893 in [1850] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. [available]
As tune #141 in [1001] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. The Dance Music of Ireland. 1001 Gems. [available]
As tune #29 in [CRE 2] Breandán Breathnach. Ceol Rince na hÉireann 2.
As tune #63 in volume 1 of [B&S] D[avid] Bulmer and N[eil] Sharpley. Music from Ireland. 4 vols.
On page 39 of [Krsn] Miles Krassen. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. New and Revised. [available]
On page 199 of [FF] David Brody. The Fiddler's Fakebook. [available]
As tune #137 in [JOL] Terry Moylan. Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra. Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border. [available]
As tune #83 in [DM 1] Dave Mallinson. 100 Essential Irish Session Tunes. [available]
On page 76 of [M] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. 3rd Edition.
On page 123 of [M2] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. Millennium Edition.
As jig #3 in [Cobb] Dan Cobb. Cobb's Music of Ireland. [available]
As tune #6 in [FT] Randy Miller. The Fiddler's Throne. [available]
As jig #39 in [JKg 3] Josephine Keegan. A Drop in the Ocean. Traditional Irish Tunes Collected by Josephine Keegan. [available]
As sgjig #46 in [JKg 3] Josephine Keegan. A Drop in the Ocean. Traditional Irish Tunes Collected by Josephine Keegan. [available]

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