A comment on a recently submitted Gan Ainm: "I wish we had a title for this tune!"
This raises the question: are there any (unwritten) rules or other ethical considerations for naming hitherto un-named tunes? Can, or should, anyone do it of their own volition, or would it be better to agree on a name over a few pints in the course of a session?
On this website alone there are 130 such tunes - and rising - and you only have to browse through any reasonably sized collection of tunes to see that there are hundreds more.
Sounds like a job for a sub-committee. On the other hand, it would be a sad day if everything were pinned neatly to the board. The 'vaguery' is part of the fun.
If I wrote a tune nowadays I call it 'The Holy Stump' so that in years to come when there is a discussion about the name, you could watch the amazement on their faces as you relate this story from 2009.
NEARLY 2,000 people have signed a petition seeking to prevent the removal of a tree stump on the grounds of a Co Limerick church, which they believe depicts an image of the Blessed Virgin.
A gan ainm, almost by definition, will have usually been around for a very long time, so it is most likely to have been a tune that was popular somewhere at some time.
If a gan ainm is to receive a name then I think it should be played regularly by more than one person today. I suggest something like introducing a tune into a session, playing it for a minimum of three sessions, by which time a few players will have taken it up and be familiar with it and hopefully it will be in the session's repertoire, and then collectively thinking about a name for the new arrival. A few pints should suffice for a short list of names, so someone goes away and check them out to see if any are already taken. The revised shortlist will then be considered (over a few more pints), the final name selected and then blessed with yet a few more pints. What d'you want a sub committee (with chairman, secretary, minutes etc) for ?
'The Holy Tree Stump' - That's a great name for a tune Myself and a few friends were heading back from Co. Kerry a couple of weeks ago and stopped to have a look at the aforementioned stump in Rathkeale. I felt like I was in an episode of Father Ted and started laughing so hard I had to walk away to avoid offending the stump-worshippers
So Father Ted was true all along?- I knew it
Lazyhound- you have to have sub-committees, otherwise there would be no raison d'etre for full committees for them to be sub to, and then where would we all be? Mayhem. I'll propose you as chairman, but then of course we'll need a sub-committee of the sub-committee to organise all the pints, pads, pencils etc.
There is a Holy Well near Spanish Point. I went to it and prayed that I would be able to play the Lord Gordon's reel and not suck royally at it. Didn't work. So much for religion and miracles. Back to the old practice.
I would wager if we ran those tunes through Reverend's ABC tune finder we would find at least half of them to be duplicates of "named" tunes already on file here. Just a theory.
Actually, I looked at trying to run the Gan Ainm tunes through my search once, but as I got into it, I found that a lot of them have already been discovered as duplicates, and people will put links in the comments section, etc.
There's a lovely clip of Seamus Creagh on YouTube, where he announces the tunes they are going to play, which goes something like: "Now, the name of the first tune is...(pregnant pause)...we don't have a name for it."
Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
A comment on a recently submitted Gan Ainm: "I wish we had a title for this tune!"
This raises the question: are there any (unwritten) rules or other ethical considerations for naming hitherto un-named tunes? Can, or should, anyone do it of their own volition, or would it be better to agree on a name over a few pints in the course of a session?
On this website alone there are 130 such tunes - and rising - and you only have to browse through any reasonably sized collection of tunes to see that there are hundreds more.
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by lazyhound
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
Sounds like a job for a sub-committee. On the other hand, it would be a sad day if everything were pinned neatly to the board. The 'vaguery' is part of the fun.
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by P-K
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
If I wrote a tune nowadays I call it 'The Holy Stump' so that in years to come when there is a discussion about the name, you could watch the amazement on their faces as you relate this story from 2009.
NEARLY 2,000 people have signed a petition seeking to prevent the removal of a tree stump on the grounds of a Co Limerick church, which they believe depicts an image of the Blessed Virgin.
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by Free Reed
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
Does this mean there'll be another airport built shortly?
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by P-K
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
A gan ainm, almost by definition, will have usually been around for a very long time, so it is most likely to have been a tune that was popular somewhere at some time.
If a gan ainm is to receive a name then I think it should be played regularly by more than one person today. I suggest something like introducing a tune into a session, playing it for a minimum of three sessions, by which time a few players will have taken it up and be familiar with it and hopefully it will be in the session's repertoire, and then collectively thinking about a name for the new arrival. A few pints should suffice for a short list of names, so someone goes away and check them out to see if any are already taken. The revised shortlist will then be considered (over a few more pints), the final name selected and then blessed with yet a few more pints. What d'you want a sub committee (with chairman, secretary, minutes etc) for ?
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by lazyhound
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
'The Holy Tree Stump' - That's a great name for a tune
Myself and a few friends were heading back from Co. Kerry a couple of weeks ago and stopped to have a look at the aforementioned stump in Rathkeale. I felt like I was in an episode of Father Ted and started laughing so hard I had to walk away to avoid offending the stump-worshippers 
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by Craic Addict
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
So Father Ted was true all along?- I knew it
Lazyhound- you have to have sub-committees, otherwise there would be no raison d'etre for full committees for them to be sub to, and then where would we all be? Mayhem. I'll propose you as chairman, but then of course we'll need a sub-committee of the sub-committee to organise all the pints, pads, pencils etc.
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by P-K
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
Obviously Father Ted is true. Duh.
There is a Holy Well near Spanish Point. I went to it and prayed that I would be able to play the Lord Gordon's reel and not suck royally at it. Didn't work. So much for religion and miracles. Back to the old practice.
;)
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by TheSilverSpear
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
Praying at holy wells works better with gan ainms- then no-one knows what the hell tune you're playing anyway
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by P-K
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
I would wager if we ran those tunes through Reverend's ABC tune finder we would find at least half of them to be duplicates of "named" tunes already on file here. Just a theory.
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by Jusa Nutter Eejit
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
Last year I was at a summer school in Kilcar Co Donegal. In the course of 5 days we were taught 20 (!) tunes, 9 of which were nameless.
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by lazyhound
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
Actually, I looked at trying to run the Gan Ainm tunes through my search once, but as I got into it, I found that a lot of them have already been discovered as duplicates, and people will put links in the comments section, etc.
But the names really don't matter much anyway
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by Reverend
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
There's a lovely clip of Seamus Creagh on YouTube, where he announces the tunes they are going to play, which goes something like: "Now, the name of the first tune is...(pregnant pause)...we don't have a name for it."
(works better when he says it!)
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by P-K
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
Not forgetting the several members of the Gan Ainm family who are signed up to the Mustard Board- we should definitely co-opt them onto the committee.
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by P-K
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
I think most of you all are missing the point - lazyhound is simply looking for a justification for drinking pints.
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by GaryAMartin
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
Got it in one!
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by lazyhound
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
P-K: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-xRR0pNnDg
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by Joe CSS
Re: Names for Gan Ainm Tunes
That's the one!- thanks Joe.
# Posted on August 26th 2009 by P-K