The Cup Of Tea

reel

Key signature: Edorian

Submitted on May 21st 2001 by Jeremy.

This tune has been added to 959 tunebooks.

Also known as The Cup O' Tea, Cup Of Tea, The Unfortunate Cup Of Tea.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• 20th Feakle Festival: Reeling Through The Years by Various Artists
• A Celebration Of 50 Years by The Tulla Ceili Band
• A Compilation Of Young Uilleann Pipers by The Pipers Rock
• A Night At The Fair by The Two Tap Trio
• Ard Rí by Aileach
• Aris by Le Cheile
• Between The Sets by Barefield Ceili Band
• Bright Silver Dark Wood by Martin Nolan
• Bruscar Bán by The Culchies
• Celtic Ceili by Various Artists
• Celtic Thunder by Celtic Thunder
• Crossroads Céilí by The Temple House Ceili Band
• Early Recordings Of Irish Traditional Dance Music by John Kimmel
• Everywhere by Uiscedwr
• Family by Qristina And Quinn Bachand
• Film Cuts by The Chieftains
• Flying On Home by Airdance
• Foinn Seisiun 2 by Ceoltóirí Cultúrlainne
• Frankie Gavin And Alec Finn by Frankie Gavin And Alec Finn
• Irish Music by Sualtam
• Irish Traditional Music by Kevin Taylor
• Jody's Heaven by Jody's Heaven
• Live At The Crane by Dusty Banjos
• Live Celtic Folk Music by Battlefield Band
• Lost In The Loop by Liz Carroll
• Mapless Journey by Kathy Buys
• Memoire Celte by Broken String
• Musiques Traditionnelles D'Irlande by The Crickard Brothers
• Over The Straits by Fiddlehead
• Piper's Rock by Various Artists
• Plays The Irish Tenor Banjo by Kieran Hanrahan
• Portraid by Sean Maguire
• River Reel by Begley,Glackin And O'Brien
• Rogha Órdha by Various Artists
• Seisiún Na H-Éireann 2006 Festival CD by Various Artists
• Solo Run by Johnny McCarthy
• Stand Easy And Preview by Battlefield Band
• Sunday Night by Robert Chalmers And Friends
• Sunshine Dance by Deiseal
• The Blue CD by Irish Session Tunes
• The Celtic Fiddle Of Liz Knowles by Liz Knowles
• The Kells by The Kells
• The Little Country by Charles De Lint
• The Professor by James Morrison
• The Quays Of Galway Town by Wild Geese
• The Quiet Glen by Tommy Peoples
• The Rare Stuff by The Rare Stuff
• The Road To Riley by Riley School Of Irish Music
• The Tocane Concerts by Various Artists
• Three Bean Salad by Three Bean Salad
• Tom Carey by Tom Carey
• Traditional Irish Music (traditional Music Session From Belfast) by Various Artists
• Twos And Threes by Murphy Roche Irish Music Club

X: 1
T: Cup Of Tea, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Edor
|:BAGF GEEF|GEBE GEEA|BAGF GEEG|FDAD FDDA|
BAGF GEEF|GEBE GEEA|B2 BA GABc|dBAG FD D2:|
K:D
|:d2 eg fdec|d2 eg fB B2|d2 eg fdec|dBAG FD D2|
d2 eg fdec|dfaf g2 fg|afge fdec|dBAG FD D2:|
|:FAdA FABA|FAdA FEE2|FAdA FABc|dBAG FD D2|
FAdA FABA|FAde fee2|fdec dBAF|GBAG FD D2:|

I think I first heard this reel on an old album by "The Wild Geese". It's quite a popular reel and a good one to liven up any session.

I've shown a fairly basic version of the tune here. As always, you could spice it up with some tastefully applied ornamentation.

For instance, at the start of the second part, you could either turn that D note into a triplet or slide up to it from C sharp.

# Posted on June 1st 2001 by Jeremy

For a very NON-basic version of the tune, check out Liz Carroll's version on Lost in the Loop on the first track (along with Sevens and Michael Kennedy's). Wild!

Zina

# Posted on January 12th 2002 by Zina Lee

Kieran Hanrahan

In set with "Greiggs pipes" and "the Congess" on album "Kieran Hanrahan-plays the Irish tenor banjo". Brilliant!

# Posted on June 17th 2002 by Celtic1234

LIz Carroll does this a fifth lower

Adorian instead of Edorian -- it sounds great on the fiddle!

It's on the Thistle and Shamrock Christmas Ceilidh.

# Posted on August 13th 2004 by dlowder

The Cup Of Tea

Isn't this sometimes called "The Unfortunate Cup Of Tea"? If so, why is it unfortunate? Is there a story behind this?

# Posted on February 26th 2007 by nicholas

Horslips had an album entitled The Unfortunate Cup of Tea and it is under that name if you look in the contents of O'Neill's. Other than that, I've only heard it called the Cup of Tea.

# Posted on February 26th 2007 by 52Paddy

The Cup Of Tea

Recorded by Phil Martin:
http://www.archive.org/details/PhilMartinTheCupofTeaTheFloggingReel2
By Michael Gallagher (1924):
http://www.archive.org/details/MichaelGallagherLucyCampbellTheCupofTea
By Sláinte (2000):
http://www.archive.org/download/CupofTea/11.ogg

# Posted on September 17th 2008 by Ramiro

Try,

Drowsy Maggie, The Morning Dew, The Cup of Tea

# Posted on January 26th 2009 by fiona_morton

Does anyone know why it is 'Unfortunate' - this would seem to be the older name of the tune. There must be a story behind it ...someone?

# Posted on November 12th 2009 by The Archivist

Cup of Tea

Watch the Young Tulla Ceili Band play the tune: http://youtu.be/rNtgQS3n-bA

If I'm not mistaken, one of the fiddlers is Sorcha Costelloe.

# Posted on June 21st 2011 by slainte