I am looking to collect some Donegal Highlands through sheet music and recordings. I want to eventually play a few on my flute. Does anyone know of any recordings, books, videos, websites, or another great place to start? Any info is greatly appreciated.
The following Donegal Highlands have come my way in workshops over the last year or so (I wouldn't go so far as to say that I've mastered them!):#
Castle Bray
Jimmy Lyons
Seaweed on the Yellow Cliff
Laird of Drumblair
Little Johnnie's Hame
The Iron Man
They are all in the Tunes list on this site under the heading of Strathspey, because Donegal Highlands and Strathspeys are closely related. It's quite possible that other strathspeys in the list are also Highlands; you'll have to look at them individually to see what the comments say.
Get any recordings of Johnny Doherty, commercial or otherwise, that are available. "Bundle and Go" might still be available somewhere if you look for it.
A lot of his best stuff pops up on Altan CDs, but there's no substitute for the old boy himself.
The Paps of Glencoe and the March of the Meenatoiteen Bull are two of my favorites. Nothing prissy about those tunes, that's for sure.
Trevor recommended nice tunes, but unfortunately they're almost unplayable on flute. Charlie O'Neill and King George IV are nice ones, but the best highland on flute is If We Had Not Any Women in the World! http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/1376
Very simple tune with a great name. Listen to Hammy Hamilton's playing of it. It's fantastic!
Johnathan, highlands are a type of dance tune that originated in Scotland. They're like a hornpipe-reel; Kind of swung but not to the extent of a hornpipe.
There are some great highlands out there. I've learned a lot of them over the past few months. They're so fun and energetic... Any of the ones recorded by Altan are definetely worth a listen. I'm going up to Dunkineely, Donegal, next weekend, so maybe I can learn some new highlands while I'm up there. =]
Was up Dunkineely way a couple of weeks ago for a quick drive up the coast. Jaysus it must be the grottiest place in Ireland - looks a bit like something out of a 1950's Hammer Horror movie!
I wish ye all the best in finding tunes - if you do let me know.
As the Pied Piper said earlier, the book The Northern Fiddler is a great resource for highlands and any other northern tunes. Unfortunately its very rare.
You can check on the abc tune finder websites for sheet music. Just type in "highland". It's been my experience that most highlands have "highland" in their name. Good luck!
Thanks so much for all the info. There is definitely enough here to get me started. However, I will keep checking this thread so any future help will not be wasted.
Since "The Northern Fiddler" is apparently very rare, and presumably out of print, it would be useful if someone with access to it were to transcribe the tunes into ABC and post them on the Web, not necessarily on thesession.org - a website set up specifically for the transcriptions would be more suitable.
If it's an inconveniently large job for an individual, then a team of voulteers could do it (as I believe was done with the transcription of the O'Neill corpus).
I'd volunteer.
There are all these Highlands or Highland Flings or whatever you want to call them, that are au courant these days, from Altan's influence and this big emphasis on Donegal music in general - and then there are a whole mess of tunes which were played for the Fling back when, which made it onto a lot of records in the 20's and 30's - The Keel Row, Moneymusk, Johnny Will You Marry Me? Loudon's Braes, Napolean crossing the Alps. The Sligo fiddlers were fond of a set of tunes they all called by different names - Shannon's Bonnet/Gurteen's Castle, Finnea Lassies. Couldn't tell you where to go for those! Buy the Hugh Gillespie or Coleman or Morrison records. They also had various lovely tunes for the barndance. Most people don't even know what the barndance was anymore!
Woohoo, my favorite tune style, and I already missed the discussion. Oh well, life's like that.
I have somewhere around the house a photocopy of all of the tunes from the book, but I wish I had the accompanying stories and notes... Also my John Doherty CD has gone missing, tho the case is still here next to the CD player. (Drat!!)
The Highland Fling is an entirely different beast from the strathspey and the highland (barndance). The Fling is a military dance, a strathspey is a social country dance, and neither is particularly similar to the Donegal highland (which is another social dance). Having danced all of these, I'd say it's pretty difficult to mistake one for the other.
Yes, I have the first three of those, listen to them all the time. Will certainly be in line for any subsequent releases, preferably will get to the Glencolmcille school where they're recorded to hear first-hand.
I learned The Iron Man off those recordings. Of course, that's a genuine strathspey, not a highland...
....highlands and strathspeys are more or less the same thing ...someone mentioned a highland is a hornpipe ..maybe when played badly.
ignore the schools at Gleannacholmcille ...you must all find your way to the Glen Tavern in Eadaninfagh (near Glenties) on a Saturday night and chat with Jimmy Campbell (and his son Peter ..if sober) and they will tell you what a highland is ..and play you as many as you like. then go to the highland hotel in Glenties on sunday night and Jamesy Byrne will give you his versions. if anyone wants directions to the glen tavern e-mail me and i'll supply them ..it's tricky enough to find.
It's not uncommon to find in books and magazines reversed photos of people. For instance, the "Fiddler's Fancy" book of tunes by Tommy Peoples has as a photo of him playing with the bow in his left hand; the sleeve notes of a CD of his show him playing with the bow in the right hand. I haven't seen him playing live, so which is correct? (rhetorical question, BTW).
In reversed photos of celebrities etc you can often work out that it is reversed by noting positions of buttons, wrist watches, and things like that.
My theory, for what it's worth, is that the people who design page layouts are trained to arrange a photo so that the principal person in it is facing inwards away from the edge of the page. Perhaps someone with editorial publishing experience could comment on this.
Trevor
Donegal Highlands
Donegal Highlands
Hello,
I am looking to collect some Donegal Highlands through sheet music and recordings. I want to eventually play a few on my flute. Does anyone know of any recordings, books, videos, websites, or another great place to start? Any info is greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Maple
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by Maple
Re: Donegal Highlands
Altan play quite a few Highlands on their albums and you can email Mairéad via their web site http://www.altan.ie/
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by breandan
Re: Donegal Highlands
Couple more web sites
http://www.standingstones.com/donegalf.html
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6464/hmpg.html
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by breandan
Re: Donegal Highlands
The following Donegal Highlands have come my way in workshops over the last year or so (I wouldn't go so far as to say that I've mastered them!):#
Castle Bray
Jimmy Lyons
Seaweed on the Yellow Cliff
Laird of Drumblair
Little Johnnie's Hame
The Iron Man
They are all in the Tunes list on this site under the heading of Strathspey, because Donegal Highlands and Strathspeys are closely related. It's quite possible that other strathspeys in the list are also Highlands; you'll have to look at them individually to see what the comments say.
Trevor
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by lazyhound
Re: Donegal Highlands
The Fermanagh Highland is posted here:
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/654
as played by Altan.
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by Will CPT
Re: Donegal Highlands
Followed by Charlie O'Neill's, also posted here:
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/655
from Altan's Island Angel cd.
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by Will CPT
Re: Donegal Highlands
Get any recordings of Johnny Doherty, commercial or otherwise, that are available. "Bundle and Go" might still be available somewhere if you look for it.
A lot of his best stuff pops up on Altan CDs, but there's no substitute for the old boy himself.
The Paps of Glencoe and the March of the Meenatoiteen Bull are two of my favorites. Nothing prissy about those tunes, that's for sure.
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by Hanley
Re: Donegal Highlands
I've got a book with transcriptions of a lot of these tunes, I think it's called the Northen Fiddler.
Yes it is.
http://users.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/books/nf.html
TTFN
PP
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by Pied Piper
Re: Donegal Highlands
For the nice recording, try "The Brass Fiddle" by legendary Donegal fiddlers: http://thesession.org/recordings/display.php/274
Trevor recommended nice tunes, but unfortunately they're almost unplayable on flute. Charlie O'Neill and King George IV are nice ones, but the best highland on flute is If We Had Not Any Women in the World! http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/1376
Very simple tune with a great name. Listen to Hammy Hamilton's playing of it. It's fantastic!
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by slainte
Re: Donegal Highlands
Im showing my ignorence, but what are Highlands?
Johnathan
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by Harper_Lad
Re: Donegal Highlands
Johnathan, highlands are a type of dance tune that originated in Scotland. They're like a hornpipe-reel; Kind of swung but not to the extent of a hornpipe.
There are some great highlands out there. I've learned a lot of them over the past few months. They're so fun and energetic... Any of the ones recorded by Altan are definetely worth a listen. I'm going up to Dunkineely, Donegal, next weekend, so maybe I can learn some new highlands while I'm up there. =]
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by errik
Re: Donegal Highlands
There's a highland Altan played on their new disc 'The Blue Idol' called Duncan Davidson's. It's here in the DB under the heading Hornpipe.
Ver' nice swinging tune.
-Pádraig na fidil
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by Pádraig
Re: Donegal Highlands
Errik,
Was up Dunkineely way a couple of weeks ago for a quick drive up the coast. Jaysus it must be the grottiest place in Ireland - looks a bit like something out of a 1950's Hammer Horror movie!
I wish ye all the best in finding tunes - if you do let me know.
# Posted on March 16th 2004 by breandan
Re: Donegal Highlands
As the Pied Piper said earlier, the book The Northern Fiddler is a great resource for highlands and any other northern tunes. Unfortunately its very rare.
You can check on the abc tune finder websites for sheet music. Just type in "highland". It's been my experience that most highlands have "highland" in their name. Good luck!
# Posted on March 17th 2004 by fiddleK
Re: Donegal Highlands
Thanks so much for all the info. There is definitely enough here to get me started. However, I will keep checking this thread so any future help will not be wasted.
Cheers,
Maple
# Posted on March 17th 2004 by Maple
Re: Donegal Highlands
breandan,
I've never been to Dunkineely so I wouldn't know what it's like. I'm just going up with a group of people from University of Limerick.
# Posted on March 17th 2004 by errik
Re: Donegal Highlands
Since "The Northern Fiddler" is apparently very rare, and presumably out of print, it would be useful if someone with access to it were to transcribe the tunes into ABC and post them on the Web, not necessarily on thesession.org - a website set up specifically for the transcriptions would be more suitable.
If it's an inconveniently large job for an individual, then a team of voulteers could do it (as I believe was done with the transcription of the O'Neill corpus).
I'd volunteer.
Trevor
# Posted on March 17th 2004 by lazyhound
Re: Donegal Highlands
Obviously "volunteers", not "voulteers"! The keyboard is playing up since my return home from a St Pat's gig in deepest Somerset.
Trevor
# Posted on March 17th 2004 by lazyhound
Re: Donegal Highlands
Sure, blame the keyboard.
Blame the bloody QWB. (Quantum Weather Butterfly - it works wi' weather, why not the choas of a keyboard?)
# Posted on March 17th 2004 by Pádraig
Re: Donegal Highlands
Check out the following (from The Session, 'Links' page):
Fiddle Music of Donegal
http://misaok.hp.infoseek.co.jp/fmod/fmod.html
You'll find a few highlands in there.
# Posted on March 18th 2004 by ragaman
Re: Donegal Highlands
David, discussion #3138 has apparently disappeared. Am I correct in believing that its content has been transferred to
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2123 ?
Trevor
# Posted on March 18th 2004 by lazyhound
Re: Donegal Highlands
There are all these Highlands or Highland Flings or whatever you want to call them, that are au courant these days, from Altan's influence and this big emphasis on Donegal music in general - and then there are a whole mess of tunes which were played for the Fling back when, which made it onto a lot of records in the 20's and 30's - The Keel Row, Moneymusk, Johnny Will You Marry Me? Loudon's Braes, Napolean crossing the Alps. The Sligo fiddlers were fond of a set of tunes they all called by different names - Shannon's Bonnet/Gurteen's Castle, Finnea Lassies. Couldn't tell you where to go for those! Buy the Hugh Gillespie or Coleman or Morrison records. They also had various lovely tunes for the barndance. Most people don't even know what the barndance was anymore!
# Posted on March 18th 2004 by Kevin Rietmann
Re: Donegal Highlands
I believe "The Northern Fiddler" has already been transcribed and put up in ABC somewhere. You could try searching the archives of IRTRAD-L...
# Posted on March 19th 2004 by Gzeg
Re: Donegal Highlands
Woohoo, my favorite tune style, and I already missed the discussion. Oh well, life's like that.
I have somewhere around the house a photocopy of all of the tunes from the book, but I wish I had the accompanying stories and notes... Also my John Doherty CD has gone missing, tho the case is still here next to the CD player. (Drat!!)
The Highland Fling is an entirely different beast from the strathspey and the highland (barndance). The Fling is a military dance, a strathspey is a social country dance, and neither is particularly similar to the Donegal highland (which is another social dance). Having danced all of these, I'd say it's pretty difficult to mistake one for the other.
# Posted on March 20th 2004 by HighlandSun
Re: Donegal Highlands
you will find a lot highlands in 'the fiddle music of donegal' albums (at least three are available but more are on the way i think)
distributed by claddagh records,dame house,dame street,dublin 2
ph/fax: 353-01 679 3664
best wishes
# Posted on March 20th 2004 by biggus dave
Re: Donegal Highlands
Yes, I have the first three of those, listen to them all the time. Will certainly be in line for any subsequent releases, preferably will get to the Glencolmcille school where they're recorded to hear first-hand.
I learned The Iron Man off those recordings. Of course, that's a genuine strathspey, not a highland...
# Posted on March 20th 2004 by HighlandSun
Re: Donegal Highlands
....highlands and strathspeys are more or less the same thing ...someone mentioned a highland is a hornpipe ..maybe when played badly.
ignore the schools at Gleannacholmcille ...you must all find your way to the Glen Tavern in Eadaninfagh (near Glenties) on a Saturday night and chat with Jimmy Campbell (and his son Peter ..if sober) and they will tell you what a highland is ..and play you as many as you like. then go to the highland hotel in Glenties on sunday night and Jamesy Byrne will give you his versions. if anyone wants directions to the glen tavern e-mail me and i'll supply them ..it's tricky enough to find.
# Posted on March 21st 2004 by DeffGoat
Re: Donegal Highlands
Hate to throw myself betwixt such wondrous argumentations, but.....
shouldn't it be a wicker man, instead of a straw man? :p
-Padraig
# Posted on July 31st 2004 by Pádraig
Re: Donegal Highlands
And we all know what happened to the Wicker Man and its contents.
Trevor
# Posted on July 31st 2004 by lazyhound
Re: Donegal Highlands
It's not uncommon to find in books and magazines reversed photos of people. For instance, the "Fiddler's Fancy" book of tunes by Tommy Peoples has as a photo of him playing with the bow in his left hand; the sleeve notes of a CD of his show him playing with the bow in the right hand. I haven't seen him playing live, so which is correct? (rhetorical question, BTW).
In reversed photos of celebrities etc you can often work out that it is reversed by noting positions of buttons, wrist watches, and things like that.
My theory, for what it's worth, is that the people who design page layouts are trained to arrange a photo so that the principal person in it is facing inwards away from the edge of the page. Perhaps someone with editorial publishing experience could comment on this.
Trevor
# Posted on July 31st 2004 by lazyhound