Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID# 164 (Blackbird)

RhythmBarsMode
Set dance46G Major
Transcription of first 2 bars of Blackbird
 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 LR 1 (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):
Blackbird, The / An Lon Dubh / An Londubh (3rd in set The Blackbird on JnKlly) (compare as hornpipe #2274, as air #165, song, and reel #162) (composed by Kiely aka Keily (set dance version only))
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
19373#1[LR 1] Leo Rowsome. Classics of Irish Piping. Leo Rowsome (pipes).View album details
~1947B.4#1[JDrn] Johnny Doran. The Bunch of Keys. Johnny Doran (pipes).View album details
19512.3#1[MGm] Michael Gorman. The Sligo Champion. The Fiddle Music of County Sligo. Michael Gorman (fiddle, vocals).View album details
~195316#1[JDJO] Joe Derrane and Jerry O'Brien. Irish Accordion Masters. Joe Derrane (accordion), Jerry O'Brien (accordion).View album details
~19664#2[TMC] Joe Burke, Andy McGann, and Felix Dolan. A Tribute to Michael Coleman. Joe Burke (accordion), Andy McGann (fiddle), Felix Dolan (piano).View album details
~19748#2[SE 3] Séamus Ennis. The Wandering Minstrel. Seamus Ennis (pipes).View album details
~197414#2[GP] various. The Gentlemen Pipers. Classic Recordings of Irish Traditional Piping. View album details
197519#3[JnKlly] John Kelly. Irish Traditional Concertina and Fiddle Music. John Kelly (concertina, fiddle).View album details
~197510#2[PK 1] Paddy Keenan. Paddy Keenan. Paddy Keenan (pipes, whistle, low whistle).View album details
19777#2[BB 3] The Bothy Band. Out of the Wind into the Sun. Paddy Keenan (pipes, whistle), Matt Molloy (flute, whistle), Kevin Burke (fiddle), Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill (vocals, keyboards), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, guitar, bodhrán, synthesizer), Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (guitar).View album details
197822#1[KKgn] Kevin Keegan. The Music of Kevin Keegan. Kevin Keegan (accordion).View album details
~1978B.6#1[NF] Joe Shannon, Johnny McGreevy. The Noonday Feast. Joe Shannon (pipes), Johnny McGreevy (fiddle).View album details
~197827#2[ItS] various. In the Smoke. View album details
~198018#1[ICTM] various. Ireland. Irlande. View album details
~199613#1[PCln] Pat Cloonan. Pat Cloonan's Thanksgiving. Patrick Cloonan (accordion).View album details
~199614#2[JB 3] Joe Burke, Charlie Lennon. The Bucks of Oranmore. Joe Burke (accordion), Charlie Lennon (piano).View album details
199811#2[KB IC] Kevin Burke. In Concert. Kevin Burke (fiddle).View album details
~199811#1[BG 5] Bobby Gardiner. The Clare Shout. Bobby Gardiner (accordion, lilting).View album details
~19992.14#1[WFO 2] various. Wooden Flute Obsession 2. View album details
~20008#1[COC] Connie O'Connell. Ceol Cill na Martra (Music from Cill Na Martra). Connie O'Connell (fiddle).View album details
~20018#1[JCt 3] John Carty. Yeh, That's All It Is. John Carty (fiddle, guitar).View album details
~200614(3:13)#3[JOSe] Jimmí Ó Sé. Malairt Poirt ó Fionntrá. Jimmí Ó Sé (accordion, vocals).View album details
~200615#1[JOSe] Jimmí Ó Sé. Malairt Poirt ó Fionntrá. Jimmí Ó Sé (accordion, vocals).View album details
~20071.12#1[CLnn 2] Charlie Lennon. Turning the Tune. Charlie Lennon (fiddle, viola, piano, harpsichord, bass, keyboards).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 #1793 in [1850] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. [available]
As tune #985 in [1001] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. The Dance Music of Ireland. 1001 Gems. [available]
As tune #270 in volume 2 of [R] Francis Roche. The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music. 3 vols. [available]
As tune #111 in [A] Hugh McDermott. Allan's "Irish Fiddler." [available]
As tune #30 in volume 1 of [AW] Eithne Vallely. Learn to Play the Tin Whistle.
On page 222 of [Krsn] Miles Krassen. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. New and Revised. [available]
As tune #230 in [JOL] Terry Moylan. Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra. Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border. [available]
As setd #2 in [MM] Martin Mulvihill. First Collection of Traditional Irish Music.
As tune #94 in [Cr] Matt Cranitch. The Irish Fiddle Book. [available]
As tune #100 in [DM 2] Dave Mallinson. 100 Enduring Irish Session Tunes. [available]
In [FMH] Tom Hastings. The Feis Musicians Handbook [sic].
As setd #2 in [Cobb] Dan Cobb. Cobb's Music of Ireland. [available]
As tune #296 in [Raff] Lesl Harker. 300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty. [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