Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID#1581 (Pigeon on the Gate)
| Rhythm ? | Bars | 8-bar phrase structure | Mode ? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reel | 32 | AABB | E Dorian |
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 MC (details in the Discography below).
Titles given to this tune in the sources listed below (plus notes of mine about this tune):
Pigeon on the Gate, The / Pigeon on the Gate / Pidgeon on the Gate / A Pigeon on the Gate / An Colúr ar an nGeata / Pigeon on the Pier / The Pigeon on the Pier / Lagan Slashers / The Lagan Slashers / League and Slasher / The Athol Braes / The Scotch Braes / Reidy's Reel / The Drinking Reel / The Drunken Tailor / The Wandering Tinker / Gallagher's Best / The Swallowtail (2nd in set The Chattering Magpie on Ch 6; 3rd in The Taproom Set on CLnn 2; 2nd in set The Pigeon on the Gate on Fdl 2) (also in A or G or G Minor; quite a bit of variation in the 2nd part) (compare The Drunken Landlady #549 and compare 1st part with 1st part of Drunken Tailor #551)
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.
| Year Recorded |
Track #Tune? |
[Album code] Artist. Title. Primary musicians (instruments). |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 | 2.13#1 | [MC] Michael Coleman. Michael Coleman 1891-1945. Michael Coleman (fiddle). |
| 1937 | 8#1 | [IFM] various. Past Masters of Irish Fiddle Music. |
| 1951 | 18#2 | [IFM] various. Past Masters of Irish Fiddle Music. |
| 1968 | 1.1#2 | [MGm] Michael Gorman. The Sligo Champion. The Fiddle Music of County Sligo. Michael Gorman (fiddle, vocals). |
| ~1970 | 1#1 | [FD 1] Finbarr Dwyer. [Finbarr Dwyer. Irish Traditional Accordionist]. Disc 2 of of Celtic Souls. Irish Celtic Ballads & Traditional Music. Finbarr Dwyer (accordion). |
| ~1976 | 1#2 | [Ch 6] The Chieftains. 6. Bonaparte's Retreat. Paddy Moloney [misspelled as:] Maloney (pipes, whistle, bodhrán), Seán Potts (whistle, bodhrán), Martin Fay (fiddle), Michael Tubridy (flute, concertina, whistle), Derek Bell (harp, oboe, tiompán), Seán Keane (fiddle). |
| ~1977 | 2#1 | [ECst] various. Traditional Irish Music in America. The East Coast. |
| ~1977 | 7#1 | [FG 1] Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn. Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn. Frankie Gavin (fiddle, whistle), Alec Finn (bouzouki). |
| ~1977 | 9#2 | [AM] Andy McGann and Paul Brady. It's A Hard Road to Travel. Andy McGann (fiddle), Paul Brady (guitar). |
| 1978 | 10#1 | [NHTL] Noel Hill and Tony Linnane. Noel Hill and Tony Linnane. Noel Hill (concertina), Tony Linnane (fiddle). |
| ~1978 | 1#2 | [SE 5] Seamus Ennis. The Fox Chase. Seamus Ennis (pipes). |
| ~1979 | 1#1 | [KB Pr] Kevin Burke, Mícheál Ó Domhnaill. Promenade. Kevin Burke (fiddle), Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (vocals, guitar, piano). |
| ~1979 | 7#1 | [BMu 1] Brendan Mulvihill, accompanied by Mick Moloney. The Flax in Bloom. Traditional Irish Music. Brendan Mulvihill (fiddle), Mick Moloney (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin). |
| ~1979 | 19#1 | [CmA 1] various. The Coleman Archive Vol. 1: The Living Tradition. |
| ~1980 | 17#1 | [ICTM] various. Ireland. Irlande. |
| ~1988 | 4#2 | [LC 2] Liz Carroll. Liz Carroll. Liz Carroll (fiddle). |
| ~1988 | 5#1 | [NH 1] Noel Hill. The Irish Concertina. Noel Hill (concertina). |
| ~1989 | 13#1 | [FG 3] Frankie Gavin. Frankie Goes to Town. Frankie Gavin (fiddle, flute). |
| 1991 | 11#2 | [FS] various. Fiddle Sticks. Irish Traditional Music from Donegal. |
| 1992 | 7#1 | [CFF 1] Kevin Burke / Johnny Cunningham / Christian Lemaître. Celtic Fiddle Festival. Kevin Burke (fiddle), Johnny Cunningham (fiddle), Christian Lemaître (fiddle). |
| ~1995 | 16#3 | [Arc 2] Arcady. Many Happy Returns. Johnny McDonagh (bones, bodhrán, triangle), Nicholas Quemener (guitar, flute, whistle, vocals), Patsy Broderick (piano, keyboards), Conor Keane (accordion), Brendan Larrissey (fiddle), Niamh Parsons (vocals). |
| ~1996 | 3#1 | [DByrn] Dermot Byrne. Dermot Byrne. Dermot Byrne (accordion). |
| 1997 | 2#2 | [Dnu 1] Danú. Danú. Daire Bracken (fiddle), Brendan McCarthy (accordion), Donnchadh Gough (pipes, bodhrán), Tom Doorley (flute), Eamonn Doorley (bouzouki, fiddle), Timmy Murray (guitar), Cárthach Mac Craith (vocals). |
| ~1997 | 5#1 | [Shskn 10] Shaskeen. Music for Set Dancing and Listening. Tom Cussen (banjo, mandolin), Benny O'Connor (drums, bodhrán, bongos), Seán Conway (flute, whistle, guitar), Eamonn Cotter (flute), Mike Fahy (guitar), Charlie Harris (accordion), Geraldine Cotter (piano), Carl Hession (piano). |
| 1999 | 1#2 | [MOBAL] Michelle O'Brien, Aogán Lynch and Gavin Rolston [sic]. Michelle O'Brien, Aogán Lynch and Gavin Ralston. Michelle O'Brien (fiddle), Aogán Lynch (concertina), Gavin Ralston (guitar). |
| ~1999 | 12#1 | [BCB 2] The Bridge Céilí Band. Sparks on Flags. Tom Ahearne (fiddle), Robert Gleeson (fiddle), Karen Gavigan (fiddle), Carthage Daly (fiddle), Catherine McHugh (fiddle), James Kinsella (accordion), Fionnuala Gleeson (flute), Eugene Nolan (flute), Pat O'Meara (piano, synthesizer), Liam McCormack (drums, bodhrán). |
| 2001 | 1#1 | [FDys] Davy Spillane and Kevin Glackin. Forgotten Days. Davy Spillane (pipes, whistle), Kevin Glackin (fiddle). |
| ~2002 | 1.11#2 | [WFO 1] various. Wooden Flute Obsession. |
| ~2005 | 2.16#1 | [WFO 3] various. Wooden Flute Obsession 3. |
| ~2007 | 1.15#3 | [CLnn 2] Charlie Lennon. Turning the Tune. Charlie Lennon (fiddle, viola, piano, harpsichord, bass, keyboards). |
| ~2007 | 14#1 | [GCB 2] The Glenside. Take the Floor with The Glenside. Tom Flood (accordion), Johnny Duffy (banjo), Moyra Fraser (keyboard, vocals), Aidan Flood (drums). |
| ~2007 | 17#2 | [MH 5] Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill. Welcome Here Again. Martin Hayes (fiddle, viola), Dennis Cahill (guitar, mandolin, bass). |
| ~2009 | 9#2 | [Fdl 2] Fidil. 3. Ciarán Ó Maonaigh (fiddle), Aidan O'Donnell (fiddle), Damien McGeehan (fiddle). |
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 #1406 in [1850] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. |
| As tune #648 in [1001] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. The Dance Music of Ireland. 1001 Gems. |
| As tune #168 in volume 1 of [R] Francis Roche. The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music. 3 vols. |
| As tune #169 in volume 1 of [R] Francis Roche. The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music. 3 vols. |
| As tune #59 in [A] Hugh McDermott. Allan's "Irish Fiddler." |
| As tune #250(ii) in [CRE 2] Breandán Breathnach. Ceol Rince na hÉireann 2. |
| On page 132 of [Krsn] Miles Krassen. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. New and Revised. |
| On page 98 of [RM] Randy Miller and Jack Perron. Irish Traditional Fiddle Music. |
| As tune #44 in [LPF] Eithne and Brian Vallely. Learn to Play the Fiddle with Armagh Pipers Club. |
| On page 217 of [FF] David Brody. The Fiddler's Fakebook. |
| As reel #142 in [MM] Martin Mulvihill. First Collection of Traditional Irish Music. |
| As tune #57 in [Cr] Matt Cranitch. The Irish Fiddle Book. |
| As tune #42 in [DM 1] Dave Mallinson. 100 Essential Irish Session Tunes. |
| On page 50 of [M] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. 3rd Edition. |
| On page 84 of [M2] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. Millennium Edition. |
| As reel #271 in [Cobb] Dan Cobb. Cobb's Music of Ireland. |
| In [LM] L[arry]. E. McCullough. ? |
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