The Merry Sisters Of Fate

reel

Key signature: Adorian

Submitted on March 29th 2002 by Will Harmon.

This tune has been added to 184 tunebooks.

Also known as The Merry Sisters, The Three Merry Sisters Of Fate.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• An Phíb by Dicky Deegan
• Avakatoo by Dirty Linen
• Best Of 1987-1993 by Altan
• Far Off Fields by Taxi Mauve
• Fiddler's Fancy by Tommy Peoples
• Fifty-Odd Years by Jimmy Power
• Folktrax-077 The Jolly Tinker: Michael Gorman, Irish Fiddler by Michael Gorman
• Irish Traditional Music Of County Clare by Bernard O'Sullivan And Tommy McMahon
• Michelle O Brien, Aogan Lynch And Gavin Ralston by Michelle O Brien, Aogan Lynch And Gavin Ralston
• Once Again (1987-1993) by Altan
• Past Masters Of Irish Fiddle Music by Various Artists
• Reeds And Rosin by Todd Denman And Dale Russ
• Reprise by Paddy Glackin And Micheal O Domhnaill
• The Best Of Altan by Altan
• The Best Of Irish Piping by Seamus Ennis
• The Celebrated Recordings by John Doherty
• The Chieftains 3 by The Chieftains
• The Coming Of Spring by Eitre
• The Given Note by Liam O'Flynn
• The Gravel Walks: The Fiddle Music Of Mickey Doherty by Mickey Doherty
• The Iron Man by Tommy Peoples And Daithi Sproule
• The Merry Sisters Of Fate by Lunasa
• The Purple Heather CD1 by Vincent Campbell
• The Red Crow by Altan
• Time For A Tune With Charlie Lennon by Charlie Lennon

X: 1
T: Merry Sisters Of Fate, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
|:eA(3AAA egfd|eA(3AAA gdBd|eA(3AAA egfd|BG(3GGG DGBd:|
|eaaf g2 fg|eaag edBd|eaaf g2 fg|egde gdBG|
|eaaf g2 fg|egab c'bag|eaaf g2 fg|egde gdBG||
|AGfg egdg|eA(3AAA eA~B2|egfg egde|BG(3GGG DGBd|
egfg egdg|eA(3AAA eA~B2|DGBd ~g3a|(3bag (3agf g2 fg||

The Merry Sisters of Fate

This version is from the title track of Lunasa's latest CD. They play it on flute, pipes, and fiddle at mind blowing speed and clarity in A dorian (it's in the Krassen O'Neill's as "The Merry Sisters" in E dorian).

On fiddle, the A Part is the easiest (if you've got your triplets working). Watch for the 2nd measure where you have to grab what amounts to a G chord all at once to get that gdBd phrase at speed.

The B Part is only a little trickier. Measures 4 and 8 feature a bunch of snappy bowings across the strings, but the result is worth a little practice to get it smooth. Then measure 6 jumps into 2nd position to get the high c. I suppose you could stay in first position and reach, but the open e strings on either end of this phrase make is easier (for me) to just shift up for 7 notes and then back down again.

Part C is a mind bender. If you can manage the first measure hop from the 3rd string G to first string f, you've still got to negotiate all the ins and outs of the following runs. Measures 3 and 4 may also be played |egfg edbc|dG(3GGG DGBd|. And at the very end, if the downhill triplets are jsut too much, play it: |bgaf g2 fg|.

# Posted on March 29th 2002 by Will Harmon

The tune is also a close relative of the Merry Harriers, a breed of hunting dog (not sure what this says about the beauty of those "sisters")....

# Posted on March 29th 2002 by Will Harmon

Tommy Peoples plays a slightly different version in E-dorian on his album 'The Iron Man'.
Altan have a tune (in Bm or B-dorian, I think) called The Three Merry Sisters of Fate, which is related, but a different tune.

# Posted on March 30th 2002 by CreadurMawnOrganig

Matt Molloy also does this on "Shadows on Stone", under the name "The Merry Sisters".

# Posted on November 16th 2003 by JHowley

Two-Part Versions

The Shepherd's Daugher: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/1313 Altan recorded it as John Doherty's version of the Merry Sisters of Fate on "Runaway Sunday."

And a Scots version here: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/3038

# Posted on January 29th 2006 by slainte

Highland Setting

Con Cassidy's Highland: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2093

# Posted on January 30th 2006 by slainte

Go here for Tommy Peoples' Edor version http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/165

# Posted on May 2nd 2007 by Dr. Dow