Contentment Is Wealth

jig

Key signature: Edorian

Submitted on May 15th 2003 by gian marco.

This tune has been added to 87 tunebooks.

Also known as The Ballinamore , Contentment Is Wealth, Molloy's Favourite, Molloys Favourite, O'Connell's Welcome To Dublin, Paddy Carty's, Paddy Carty's Favourite, The Tongs By The Fire, Tony Molloy's.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Are You The Concertina Player? by Kate McNamara
Celtic Passion by John Williams, Dean Magraw
Classic Recordings Of Irish Traditional Fiddle Music by Hugh Gillespie
Cosa Gan Bhroga by Eithne Ni Uallachain, Gerry O'Connor And Desi Wilkinson
Donkey's Years by The Roaring Donkey Sessions
Early Recordings Of Irish Traditional Dance Music by John Kimmel
Erne by Jim McGrath, Cathal Hayden, Gerry O'Donnell, Tommy O'Sullivan
First Through The Gate by Brian Conway
Foinn Seisiun 2 by Ceoltóirí Cultúrlainne
Foinn Seisiun 3 by Ennis/Dublin Session Group
Fonn Le Fonn by Tomas O'Ceannabhain
From Ballymote To Brooklyn by Paddy Killoran and James Morrison
From Leitrim To London by Brian Rooney
Give Us Another by Joe Derrane
In Good Company - The Very Best Of by Kevin Burke
In Good Hands by Paddy Murphy
In Session by Eoin O'Neill
Ireland's Harvest : A Tribute To The Golden Years Of Music In Irish America by Joe Derrane, Frankie Gavin And Brian McGrath
Irish Dances by Jimmy Power
Irish Jigs And Reels by Various Artists
Mo Chairdin by Paul Brock
Moving Cloud by Moving Cloud
Music In Exile: A Celebration Of Comhaltas In Leeds by Leeds CCE
On Fire! by The Cottars
Out On The Ocean by Moher
Over The Edge by Moher
Patrick Street by Patrick Street
Plays The Irish Tenor Banjo by Kieran Hanrahan
Rabharta by Feenish
Return To Inis Mor by Joe Derrane
Step This Way by David Lindquist
The Best Of Patrick Street by Patrick Street
The Branch Line by Jack And Charlie Coen
The Irish Low Whistle by Joe McKenna
The King Of The Pipers by Leo Rowsome
The Leg Of The Duck by Joe Burke, Michael Cooney And Noreen Donoghue
The Little Country by Charles De Lint
The Merry Love To Play by Peter Horan And Gerry Harrington
The Music Of Kevin Keegan by Kevin Keegan
The Night Rambler's Companion by Harry Bradley
The Story So Far by John Creavan
Tobar An Dúchais by Brid O'Donohue
Tobar An Dúchais: Solo Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Music From County Clare by Bríd O'Donohue
Traditional Irish Music by William Sullivan
Traditional Irish Tunes Played On The Tin Whistle (1/2) by Geraldine Cotter
Up And Away by Paul Smyth
Warming Up by Martin Mulhaire, S�amus Connolly And Jack Coen
We Have Met Together by Mick Moloney
When The World Was Wide by Trouble In The Kitchen
Wooden Flute Obsession Disk 2 by Various Artists
Wooden Flute Obsession: Volume 2, Disc 2 by Various Artists

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Contentment Is Wealth

Source: Moher - "over the edge"
Transcription: g.m.p.

A good tune from a good album.

# Posted on May 15th 2003 by gian marco

I like the name, really speaks to me...

# Posted on May 16th 2003 by Kenn

I'm used to another setting of this tune that goes like this

I lifted that setting from http://www.ceolas.org/pub/tunes/abc.tunes/OBrien.abc which is very similar to the way I've heard it

This setting sounds like it's been influenced by "The Miner's"
http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/740

# Posted on May 16th 2003 by Mad Baloney

Isn't the title a bit ambiguous? You could either take it as meaning that "contentment is achieved by being wealthy" or "contentment is wealth of a more wholesome kind than money". I think I prefer the latter :-)

# Posted on May 16th 2003 by Dow

History of Contentment is Wealth jig

Greetings ye faceless ones of the ITM ether

I was not sure whether to post this in the tunes section or under discussions. I opted for discussions as there is a greater chance for many a varied reply.

I noticed in the tunes section that the sheetmusic to the jig titled O'Connell's Farewell to Dublin is the same as that for Contentment is Wealth. However, in the versions I know of these tunes the B parts are the same but the A parts differ.

Or put another way (to avoid confusion)
O'Connells: The first 8 bars differ from Contentment but the melody in the 8 bars of Part B are the same.

I am also aware of Paddy O'Brien's version where the first 8 bars of Contentment is the same as the Contentment version I am aware of, but the B part is different.

Does anyone know how these tunes evolved or mutated?

Thanks
Simon

# Posted on June 30th 2004 by sjt

Re: History of Contentment is Wealth jig

Ha ha - not completely faceless, Simon. THere are a few of us with links to webpages and sites with our photos up. So then you know you're talking to Real People.
In answer to your question - well, a bit of waffle actually, as there is no easy answer. This happens all the time and is one of the endearing features of the music.
It could be that the tune transmogrified as it crossed a county border way back. Maybe the player who took it to the neighbouring county remembered the first part really well but forgot exactly how the second part went - so (s)he sellotaped his own bit on. Or maybe, to make the tune their own the player changed a bit of it and that then became the standard rendition in that part of the world. As I say, it happens all the time.

# Posted on June 30th 2004 by Key Maniac Lad

Thanks for the reply, Lordy.

I doubted there was a specific answer, but you don't know unless you ask. Your reply confirmed my suspicions as to possiblities of the various versions.

Cheers
SJT

# Posted on July 1st 2004 by sjt

"O'Connell's Welcome To Dublin" ~ one in the same...

Key signature: e minor
Submitted on November 20th 2003 by Grack.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2174

# Posted on December 8th 2005 by ceolachan

"Paddy Carty's Favourite" ~ in Triplicate

Key signature: E minor (rather than E Dorian)
Submitted on March 12th 2004 by gian marco.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2642

# Posted on December 13th 2005 by ceolachan

Contentment is Wealth

I don't know why, but Cape Breton fiddlers call this tune the Golden Keyboard.

# Posted on February 1st 2006 by slainte

Much confusion

The real "Contentment is Wealth" is a different tune in O'Neil's collection. Paddy Reynolds often played it together with this one, which was "Tony Molloy's" (after the flute player with the Leitrim Ceili Band of east Galway) on a recording by Sean Ryan and PJ Moloney.

# Posted on October 1st 2006 by blarneystar

Contentment Is Wealth (jig) ~ Slainte's brave attempt to give it air

Key signature: E Dorian
Submitted on February 20th 2007 by slainte.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/6842

Duplication?, well, just in case it is seen that way, here is Slainte's transcription, similar to the Paddy O'Brien setting as given above by Mad Baloney:

"There are 2 distinct (or distantly related?) tunes known by this name, but I believe this is the more common one. I picked it up from the playing of Leeds Ceili Band recorded more than 10 years ago. Brian Rooney recorded a very similar version on the box, citing Paddy Killoran as the source." ~ slainte

# Posted on February 20th 2007 by ceolachan

So, to put a bit more confusion into the mix...

While listening to John Williams' Celtic Passion recording, I saw that John Williams calls this jig Tongs by the Fire, which is actually a completely different tune. But this is the one that matches it. It's weird, mayhaps there was confusion and they guessed what the name was. Either way, a fun tidbit that can give a bit more confusion to the mix=D

# Posted on June 21st 2007 by BonnieKate

Harry Bradley also recorded a version of this as the Tongs by the Fire though he doesn't provided where the title comes from.

# Posted on June 22nd 2007 by slainte

Haha, I think I tried to type "he doesn't inform where the title comes from."

# Posted on June 22nd 2007 by slainte

John Skelton's version on "One at a time"

John Skelton performed a beautiful flute version of this tune with the title "O'Connell's Farewell to Ireland" on his 1993 album, "One at a time."

On the album liner he says this:

The title of this reel, like the better known "O'Connell's Welcome to Parliament," refers to Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847). Sean Keane plays a version of this tune as a hornpipe, and I also remember hearing it played by P.J. Crotty, the Co. Clare flute player. My own setting, however, is based upon the reel in Brendan Breathnach's "Ceol Rince na h'Eireann, 2."

# Posted on June 30th 2007 by art

I just noticed that the tune is listed here as a jig. It's performed as a reel by Skelton.

# Posted on June 30th 2007 by art

Wrong

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/4090

The above is the tune John recorded, which has nothing whatsoever in common with this jig, as far as I can see.
The title is "O'Connell's Farewell To Dublin", not Ireland.

# Posted on June 30th 2007 by Kenny

Wrong? Thanks for the gracious welcome, Kenny.

You are right, I typed the title incorrectly; it is Dublin.

Listening to the two, I think they're related, but sometimes these tunes sound similar to my ears when they're not.

# Posted on June 30th 2007 by art

Welcome to the session, art, although I see you posted here in August last year, so a "welcome" is a bit belated. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself in your biography, please ?

# Posted on June 30th 2007 by Kenny

Thanks for the welcome, Kenny. I've added a description to my profile. That was a good idea. I hadn't noticed that possibility.

# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by art