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Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID#91 (Ask My Father)

Rhythm ?Bars8-bar phrase structureMode ?
Single jig64AABBD Major
Transcription of first 2 bars of Ask My Father
 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 SE 2 (details in the Discography below).
Titles given to this tune in the sources listed below (plus notes of mine about this tune):
Ask My Father / Ask Me Father / Fiafraigh de m'Athair é / The Four Courts (1st in set Away with Ye on Ch 6) (also singled, also as hornpipe, included here) (compare With All My Heart #2645 and Johnny Allen #986)

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.

Year
Recorded
Track
#Tune?
[Album code] Artist. Title. Primary musicians (instruments). Album details
and contents
~19737#1[SE 2] Seamus Ennis. The Pure Drop. Seamus Ennis (pipes).View album details
~19764#1[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).View album details
~19808#1[JKn 1] James Keane. Roll Away the Reel World. James Keane (accordion).View album details
~20072#1[OMcA] Oisín McAuley. Far from the Hills of Donegal. Oisín McAuley (fiddle, guitar).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 #941 in [1850] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. [available]
As tune #367 in [1001] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. The Dance Music of Ireland. 1001 Gems. [available]
As tune #143 in [WC] Pat Mitchell. The Dance Music of Willie Clancy. [available]
As tune #62 in [CRE 1] Breandán Breathnach. Ceol Rince na hÉireann 1.

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