Dermot Byrne's

reel

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on March 23rd 2003 by Mary Callanan.

This tune has been added to 46 tunebooks.

Also known as Aly Bain's, Bob McQuillan's, Bob McQuillen's, Dermot Byrnes, Dorsetshire Hornpipe, Maud McQuillan, The Star.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• After The Ball by Arcady
• Altan by Altan
• Altan's Finest by Altan
• An Ceoltoir Fanach by Cathy Custy
• Another Gem by Aly Bain And Phil Cunningham
• Bridging The Gap by Kevin And Sean Moloney
• Dance Music Of Ireland: Volume 12 by Matt Cunningham
• Fingal by Fingal
• Folktrax-075: Johnny Doherty, The Star Of Donegal by John Doherty
• In Praise Of Lissycasey by Various Artists
• Leo Rowsome: Classics Of Irish Piping by Leo Rowsome
• Magnificent Seven by Blazin' Fiddles
• Ocean View by Shanachie
• Once Again (1987-1993) by Altan
• Remember Des Donnelly by Des Donnelly
• Round The Bend by Glen Road
• Temple House 2 by Temple House Ceili Band
• The Irish Music Anthology (40 Classic Songs, Jigs And Reels) by Various Artists
• The Living Wood by Maire Ni Chathasaigh And Chris Newman
• The Piper's Rest by Jimmy Morrison
• The Roseland Barndance by North Cregg
• The Ways Of The World by Mary Custy And Eoin O'Neill
• Tony McManus by Tony McManus
• Traditional Irish Music From Doolin Co. Clare by Terry Bingham
• Turas by Turas
• Unearthed by Paul McGlinchey
• Waiting For A Call by Tommy Peoples

X: 1
T: Dermot Byrne's
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|:dc|BGBc dcBA|GABG D2 Bd|CcCD EDCB|AGFE Dddc|
BGBc dcBA|GABG DB,G,B,|CGEG DAFA|AGFA G2:|
|:B2|d2 Bd g'bgf|eccB cBAB| cA (3dcB aAga|fddc dcBc|
d2 Bd g'bbf|eccd efge|dGBd cAFA|AGFA G2:|

There are some very high notes in this, and lots of leaps. If the ABC is correct it's very unusual...

# Posted on March 23rd 2003 by Dow

Those very high g's in bars 1 and 5 of part B make more musical sense if they're an octave lower. I've tried it, and it's now quite a fun tune to play.

# Posted on March 24th 2003 by lazyhound

Aly Bain composition

I'm sure this tune was composed by Aly Bain, who named it after Bob McQuillan, an American fiddle-player, I think. Trevor's right about dropping the octave.

# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Kenny

P.s.

Once again, as Bob McQuillan's is the name given to the tune by the composer, I think it should be listed as such.

# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Kenny

Moot point

Perhaps my eyes are failing me or the monitor's resolution is poor, but shouldn't the discrepant high g' s in the ABC appear in the sheet music skewered by ledger lines?

# Posted on March 26th 2003 by Gra5ity

You must have been on the ball to have noticed that Gra5ity. It does look as though the skewer has been chopped off on both sides. Maybe the note is so high that the computer assumes that no-one would ever bother counting the ledger lines!

# Posted on March 26th 2003 by Dow

Bob McQuillen

Bon McQ is a pianist/accordionist from New Hampshire (I dunno, maybe he does play fiddle) who has composed God knows how many contra-dance tunes. His best known is Dancing Bear, which I utterly despise, but dancers love it, and I have to admit, it "dances" pretty good!

# Posted on April 4th 2003 by ffidylguy

Bob McQuillen

I thought I once heard Aly introduce it as a tune he had written for a fiddler, but accept I could be wrong here. I'm sure you're right, ffidylguy. Anyway, it is "Bob McQuillen's", composed by Aly Bain.

# Posted on April 4th 2003 by Kenny

McQuillen

Bob McQuillen doesn't play the fiddle in public -- if at all. He's a pretty famous and much-loved New England character who has written thousands of tunes. He wrote Amelia's Waltz, among other tunes played world-wide.

# Posted on March 13th 2007 by cocus

Jackson's

It's the second Jackson's Reel on Christy Dunne's pluckin good album. He played Jackson's first and then Bob McQuillan's but called the track a collective title of Jackson's. I believe this must have just been in reference to the first tune and the second being a Gan Ainm.

# Posted on April 11th 2007 by 52Paddy

The transcription above is a little bit suspect - at the very least, not session friendly. So here's the way I play it, and more or less the way you'll hear it in sessions:

X: 1
T: Bob McQuillen's
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|:dc|B2Bc dcBA|GABG D2 Bd|cBcd edcB|AGFE D2dc|
B2Bc dcBA|GABG DB,G,B,|CDEC B,DGB|cAFA G2:|
|:Bc|d2 Bd g3f|eccB cBAB| c2Ac a3g|fdd^c d=cBc|
d2 Bd gagf|ecc2 efge|dBGB cAFG|AGGF G2:|

# Posted on June 6th 2009 by OrganicPeatCreature

Sounds a lot like the Dorsetshire Hornpipe played faster

# Posted on September 25th 2009 by Michael Sam Wild