Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID# 574 (Eileen Curran)

RhythmBars8-bar phrase structureMode
Reel32AABBG Dorian
Transcription of first 2 bars of Eileen Curran
 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 PitS (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):
Eileen Curran / Eileen Curran's / Eillie Curran's / The Sailor's Return / The Sailor Set on Shore / Sailors Set on Shore (compare John Stewart included here) (also in A, also as hornpipe)
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
19673#1[PitS] various. Paddy in the Smoke. Martin Byrnes (fiddle), Danny Meehan (fiddle), Bobby Casey (fiddle), Tony McMahon (accordion), Andy Boyle (fiddle), Jimmy Power (fiddle), Jimmy Dunleavy (fiddle), Sean O'Shea (fiddle), Con Curtin (fiddle), Denis McMahon (fiddle), Julia Clifford (fiddle), Tommy Maguire (accordion), Father O'Keeffe (mandolin), Lucy Farr (fiddle), Edmond Murphy (fiddle).View album details
~197510#1[PCt] Paddy Carty. Traditional Irish Music. Paddy Carty (flute).View album details
~19803#2[JKn 1] James Keane. Roll Away the Reel World. James Keane (accordion).View album details
~19802.13#2[GL20] various. Green Linnet Records. The Twentieth Anniversary Collection. View album details
~198410#3[KB UC] Kevin Burke. Up Close. Kevin Burke (fiddle).View album details
19918#2[FS] various. Fiddle Sticks. Irish Traditional Music from Donegal. View album details
~19933#1[MB 2] Mary Bergin. Feadóga Stáin 2. Mary Bergin (whistle).View album details
199711#2[MH 3] Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill. The Lonesome Touch. Martin Hayes (fiddle), Dennis Cahill (guitar).View album details
~20008#2[EOR] Eoin Ó Riabhaigh. Tiomnacht. Handed On. Eoin Ó Riabhaigh (pipes).View album details
~20006#2[LLPQ 1] The London Lasses and Pete Quinn. The London Lasses and Pete Quinn. Bernie Conneely (banjo), Elaine Conwell (fiddle), Karen Ryan (fiddle, whistle), Sharon Whelton (flute, whistle).View album details
~20016#1[JMcK] Joe McKenna. The Irish Low Whistle. Joe McKenna (whistle, pipes, keyboards, piano).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 #1375 in [1850] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. [available]
As tune #625 in [1001] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. The Dance Music of Ireland. 1001 Gems. [available]
As tune #36 in volume 1 of [B&S] D[avid] Bulmer and N[eil] Sharpley. Music from Ireland. 4 vols.
On page 128 of [Krsn] Miles Krassen. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. New and Revised. [available]
As reel #82 in [Cobb] Dan Cobb. Cobb's Music of Ireland. [available]
As tune #309 in [FT] Randy Miller. The Fiddler's Throne. [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