Comments

Slides from Sliabh Luachra

Slides from Sliabh Luachra

Two reasons for posting these slides played by a couple of young Sliabh Luachra musicians at http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_288_2_eimear_buckley_padraig_king:-

1) we rarely hear slides in sessions and I find it's nice to hear some examples once in a while; in fact they're played at quite a relaxed pace here and I think that it's probably a common mistake for musicians not familiar with slides to always play them "hell for leather"!

2) does anyone have names for these - the first two are a bit unfamiliar to me but the last one seems fairly common.

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by Bannerman

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

The second seems to be a slide version of this polka, only in a higher key:
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/4824

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by willv

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

lovely

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by llig leahcim

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

The first tune is "Barrack Hill".

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by joesmith

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

It's on the CD "Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra-Dance Music from the Cork Kerry Border" and also in Terry Moylan's book "Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra".

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by joesmith

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

I learnt the second tune from a group of (then) young musicians called Ceol Chiarri, and the name they gave it was "The Echoes of Killarney"

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by Tony O'Rourke

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

I love slides, what with the way the 12/8 and the rhythm give a longer arc to the phrasing (that's how I hear/think of it anyway).

The third tune is The Rejected Suitor or Cnoc Na GClarac
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/5862

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by jasonb

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

Thanks Bannerman, I was needing something to lift my spirits and this did it... Slides are favourites of my wife ~ hearing them, playing them and dancing to them... but not played 'hell for leather'... Slides, like polkas too, get pretty awful treatment in general, erratic speed being the main thing that shatters the joy of them... These two were a joy to surrender my ears to...

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by ceolachan

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

That was great, thanks Bannerman.

I usually have the opposite problem with slides round these parts. Typically folks will play them a bit too slowly and end up going 'jiggety jiggety' all over their lovely 12/8-ness.

Anyway, I love slides, polkas too.

Finally, I leave you with the immortal words of Belfast poet Ciarán Carson, who once described the lovely slide as:

'blah dithery dump a doodle scattery idle fortunoodle'

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by SWFL Fiddler

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

SWFL....you always have such a way with words!

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by zippydw

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

Actually question after repeating it a few times-is the an emphasis on 'fort...' or is it on the middle '...tun...'

Not intending to be flip.

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by zippydw

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

lol zippy! Let's see…

blah DITHery dump a DOOdle scattery IDLE fortuNOOdle

???

Sure, let’s go with that. Anything but jiggety jiggety, or any related members of the same family tree. ;-)

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by SWFL Fiddler

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

Nice playing. This is the second one.......
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/5945

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by bogman

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

And the first one, which seems to be a version of 'Haughs of Cromdale'
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1014

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by bogman

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

They aren't his words.
They are Ciaran Carson's words.

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by Hugo Chavez

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

Thanks for all the contributions and in particular for providing tune names. I'm glad I'm not the only one with a grá for slides!

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by Bannerman

Re: Slides from Sliabh Luachra

Hey Hugo, my ego assumed zippy saw my disclaimer and was commenting on my overall linguistic talents! [insert fiddler+ego joke here]

Linkage for Mr. Carson's fine poetry: (not sure about his poultry)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciarán_Carson#Critical_Perspective

# Posted on June 9th 2009 by SWFL Fiddler

Not a member yet? Sign up!

forgotten your password?

Frequently Asked Questions

Enter your email address to have your password sent to you.