Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID#606 (Farewell to Erin)
| Rhythm ? | Bars | 8-bar phrase structure | Mode ? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reel | 32 | AABB | D Major |
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):
Farewell to Erin / Farewell to Ireland / Slán le hÉirinn / Austin Tierney's / Austin Tierneys / Ríl Austin Tierney / The Flying Column / The Maid in the Cherry Tree / Maid in the Cherry Tree / Maid in a Cherry Tree (1st in set The Savoy on KCB 6) (also with parts reversed, also in E) (compare The London Lasses #1147)
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). |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 2.23#2 | [MC] Michael Coleman. Michael Coleman 1891-1945. Michael Coleman (fiddle). |
| 1926 | 11#1 | [WW 1] various. The Wheels of the World. Early Irish-American Music. Classic Recordings from the 1920s and 1930s. Vol. 1. |
| ~1974 | 8#1 | [KCB 3] [The Kilfenora Ceili Band]. [The Kilfenora Céilí Band]. |
| ~1977 | 9#1 | [ECst] various. Traditional Irish Music in America. The East Coast. |
| ~1977 | 1#2 | [FG 1] Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn. Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn. Frankie Gavin (fiddle, whistle), Alec Finn (bouzouki). |
| 1987 | 12#2 | [BBow 2] Buttons and Bows. The First Month of Summer. Séamus McGuire (fiddle, viola), Manus McGuire (fiddle), Jackie Daly (accordion, concertina, whistle). |
| ~1988 | 6#1 | [NH 1] Noel Hill. The Irish Concertina. Noel Hill (concertina). |
| 1990 | 7#2 | [MLIIA] various. The Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival - My Love Is in America. |
| ~1993 | 1#1 | [JCnly] Johnny Connolly. An tOileán Aerach. Johnny Connolly (accordion). |
| ~1996 | 10#2 | [JCt 2] John Carty. Last Night's Fun. John Carty (fiddle, banjo, flute). |
| ~1999 | 10#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). |
| ~2000 | 5#1 | [OMBFMO] Oisín Mac Diarmada, Brian Fitzgerald, Micheál Ó Ruanaigh. Traditional Music on Fiddle, Banjo and Harp. Oisín Mac Diarmada (fiddle), Brian Fitzgerald (banjo), Micheál Ó Ruanaigh (harp). |
| ~2002 | 9#1 | [KCB 6] The Kilfenora Céilí Band. Live in Lisdoonvarna. Anne Rynne (fiddle), Conor McCarthy (accordion), Garry Shannon (flute), Tim Collins (concertina), Sheila Garry (fiddle), Fintan McMahon (piano), Anne Marie McCormack (fiddle), John Lynch (banjo), Sean Griffin (drums), Anthony Quigney (flute). |
| ~2002 | 1.5#1 | [MSCB] Michael Sexton Ceili Band. Michael Sexton Ceili Band. Michael Sexton (accordion), Caroline Tubridy (fiddle), Pat Curtin (flute), Brian Morgan (flute), Ralph Morgan (banjo), George Byrt (piano), Martin Garrihy (drums). |
| ~2005 | 6#3 | [JCt 5] John Carty. I Will If I Can. John Carty (banjo, guitar, fiddle). |
| 2006 | 12#3 | [NNW] Eliot Grasso and Dave Cory. North-by-NorthWest. Eliot Grasso (pipes, flute), Dave Cory (banjo, guitar, octave mandolin). |
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 #1472 in [1850] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. |
| As tune #701 in [1001] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. The Dance Music of Ireland. 1001 Gems. |
| As tune #73 in volume 3 of [R] Francis Roche. The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music. 3 vols. |
| As tune #17 in volume 3 of [B&S] D[avid] Bulmer and N[eil] Sharpley. Music from Ireland. 4 vols. |
| On page 146 of [Krsn] Miles Krassen. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. New and Revised. |
| On page ? of volume 3 of [CRE 3+] Breandán Breathnach. Ceol Rince na hÉireann. |
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