Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID#776 (Kerry Reel)
about these two barsThese two bars were transcribed by me from how this tune was played – the first time through – on the recording MC (details in the Discography below).
| Rhythm ? | Bars | 8-bar phrase structure | Mode ? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reel | 32 | AABB | E Dorian |
Kerry Reel, The / The Kerryman / The Kerry Man / Rogha Chiarraí / Kerry's Favourite / The Green Fields of Rossbeigh / Green Fields of Rossbeigh / The Green Fields of Rosbeigh / Greenfields of Rossbeigh / Green Fields of Rosbeigh / Páirceanna Glasa Ros Beithe / The Green Banks of Rossbeigh / The Witch of the Glen / Tom Clark's Fancy (mislabeled as The Boys at the Lough on MER) (also 1st part or both parts singled)
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.
Click 
to hear the first 12 seconds.
to hear the first 12 seconds.| Year Recorded |
Track #Tune? |
[Album code] Artist. Title. Performers (instruments). |
|---|---|---|
| ~1924 | 2.20#1 | [MC] Michael Coleman. Michael Coleman 1891-1945. Michael Coleman (fiddle). |
| 1926 | 21#2 | [MG] Milestone at the Garden. Irish Fiddle Masters from the 78 RPM Era. Michael Hanafin (fiddle). |
| ~1927 | 20#2 | [MER] The Music of Ed Reavy. Ed Reavy (fiddle). |
| 1928 | 22#2 | [MG] Milestone at the Garden. Irish Fiddle Masters from the 78 RPM Era. Edward V. Reavy [Ed Reavy]. |
| 1957 | 1.9#1 | [SltSdt] Seoltaí Séidte. Setting Sail. Denis Murphy. |
| ~1959 | 6#1 | [GD] From Galway to Dublin. Early Recordings of Traditional Irish Music. Denis Murphy (fiddle). |
| ~1974 | 14#2 | [KCB 3] [The Kilfenora Ceili Band]. [The Kilfenora Céilí Band]. |
| ~1976 | 5#1 | [AMPR] Andy McGann and Paddy Reynolds. Andy McGann and Paddy Reynolds. Andy McGann (fiddle), Paddy Reynolds (fiddle). |
| ~1983 | 7#2 | [JB 3] Joe Burke with Máire Ní Chathasaigh. The Tailor's Choice. Joe Burke (flute, whistle, accordion). For this tune: (whistle). |
| 1987 | 24#1 | [WmSullvn] William Sullivan. Traditional Irish Music. William Sullivan (accordion). |
| ~1990 | 5#2 | [JWh 2] John Whelan. From the Heart. Traditional Irish Music. John Whelan (accordion). |
| 1993 | 1.7#1 | [SDI 3] Set Dances of Ireland. Volume III. Denis McMahon (fiddle), Paudy Scully (flute), Timmy O'Connor (melodeon). |
| 1993 | 1#4 | [CTL 4] Cherish the Ladies. Out and About. Joanie Madden (flute, whistle, vocals), Mary Coogan (guitar, banjo, bouzouki), Maureen Doherty Macken (accordion, whistle), Winifred Horan (fiddle), Siobhan Egan (fiddle, bodhrán), Cathie Ryan (vocals). |
| ~1994 | 1#1 | [SndCmC] The Sound of Coleman Country. Swallows Tail Ceili Band. |
| ~1995 | 12#1 | [KC 1] Kevin Crawford. 'D' Flute Album. Kevin Crawford (flute, whistle, bodhrán). For this tune: (C bamboo flute). |
| ~1995 | 20#1 | [CmA 1] The Coleman Archive Vol. 1: The Living Tradition. Séamus O'Donnell (lilting). |
| ~1996 | 14#2 | [MOB] Mick O' Brien. May Morning Dew. Mick O' Brien (pipes, whistle). For this tune: (pipes), with Terry Crehan (fiddle). |
| 1998 | 16#2 | [JWh 6] John Whelan. Come to Dance. John Whelan (accordion). For this tune: 1st time (guitar), then with Jim Eagan (fiddle). |
| 1999 | 14#1 | [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). |
| ~2002 | 1.11#1 | [WFO 1] Wooden Flute Obsession. Josie McDermott (flute). |
| 2005 | 1#2 | [BLch 2] Brendan P. Lynch. Irish Traditional Fiddle Music from the Heart of Fingal. Brendan P. Lynch (fiddle). |
| ~2008 | 14#1 | [TDeM] Tony DeMarco. The Sligo Indians. Tony DeMarco (fiddle). For this tune: with Peter Horan (flute). |
| 2011 | 14#1 | [IFMCK] Connie O'Connell. Irish Fiddle Music from Counties Cork and Kerry. Connie O'Connell (fiddle). |
Bibliography
Here are all transcriptions of this tune 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.
| On page 79 of [RM] Randy Miller and Jack Perron. Irish Traditional Fiddle Music. |
| As tune #181 in [CRE 1] Breandán Breathnach. Ceol Rince na hÉireann 1. |
| On page 156 of [FF] David Brody. The Fiddler's Fakebook. |
| As tune #206 in [JOL] Terry Moylan. Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra. Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border. |
| As reel #35 in [MM] Martin Mulvihill. First Collection of Traditional Irish Music. |
| As reel #92 in [MM] Martin Mulvihill. First Collection of Traditional Irish Music. |
| As tune #69 in [DM 1] Dave Mallinson. 100 Essential Irish Session Tunes. |
| On page 34 of [M] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. 3rd Edition. |
| As reel #19 in [Ng] Alan Ng. Alan Ng's Transcriptions. |
| On page 57 of [M2] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. Millennium Edition. |
| As reel #123 in [Cobb] Dan Cobb. Cobb's Music of Ireland. |
| As tune #69 in [Raff] Lesl Harker. 300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty. |
| On page 105 of [IFMCK] Drew Beisswenger. Irish Fiddle Music from Counties Cork and Kerry. |
| 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): 1924