The Trip To Birmingham

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on June 29th 2003 by Alancorsini.

This tune has been added to 51 tunebooks.

Also known as Josie McDermott's, The Pile Of Bricks, Trip To Bermingham, Trip To Birmingham.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• 40th Anniversary 1946 - 1986 by The Tulla Ceili Band
• Ah, Surely! by Eddie Cahill
• Cuisle by Angela Deane
• Darby's Farewell by Josie McDermott
• Dark Of The Moon by Grey Larsen And Paddy League
• Easter Snow by Seamus Tansey
• Farewell To Evening Dances by Colm O'Donnell
• Festival Of Traditional Irish Music by Various Artists
• Irish Traditional Accordion Session With Four Champions by Joe Burke, Kevin Loughlin, Finbarr Dwyer And John Whelan
• Irish Women Musicians Of America by Cherish The Ladies
• Katy Bar The Door by Randal Bays
• Music In Exile: A Celebration Of Comhaltas In Leeds by Leeds CCE
• Rattlin' Banjos (part 1) by Gerry O'Connor
• The Flute Players Of Roscommon - Vol 1 by Various Artists
• The Kitchen Recordings by Se�n O'Driscoll And Larry Egan
• The Maple Leaf by Jimmy Noonan, Chris McGrath
• The Mountain Road by Comhaltas Tour Group 1997
• The Ships Are Sailing by Comhaltas Concert Tour Group 1978
• Traditional Flute Music In The Sligo-Roscommon Style by Catherine McEvoy With Felix Dolan
• Tune For The Road by Laura Byrne
• Up And Away by Paul Smyth
• Upon My Soul by James Carty

X: 1
T: Trip To Birmingham, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
DB{A}GF GzBd|~E3D edBA|~G3B dzBG|ABAG EGDE|
DG{A}GF Gz{A}BD|e~d3 efga|b~g3 azge|dBAB {A}G4:|
|:dggf gzg2|{c}Bgag edBA|~g3B d2BG|ABAG EGDz|
dg{a}gf gzga|bgag edBA|~g3B d2BG|AGFA G4:|
"variation"
d~G3 A~G3|BG{B}AG edBA|~G3B DzBG|AGFA {A}G4:|

Written by Josie McDermott
This is a setting by flautist June McCormack

# Posted on June 29th 2003 by Alancorsini

Trip to Birmingham

What a great tune - played all the time around Josie country i.e. Ballyfarnon, Roscommon. Often played with Darby's Farewell to London at our session in the Bogside bar where the session is joined by Tom Harte who is Darby of the title!

# Posted on January 1st 2004 by MollyB

Corrections

Sorry to have to point out that there are several errors in the transcription of this reel. I think what follows is more accurate.

DGGF GABd | e2 ed edBA | G2 GB dGBG | ABAG ED D2 |
DGGF GABd | e2 ed efga | bg g2 ageg |1 dBAB G3 E :|2 dBAB G2 Bc |
dggf g2 ga | bgag edBA | G2 GB dGBG | ABAG ED D2 |
1 dggf g2 ga | bgag edBA | G2 GB dGBG | AGFA GABc :|
2 dg g2 ag g2 | b2 ag edBA | G3 B dGBG | AGFA G4 |

# Posted on April 2nd 2004 by Kenny

The version I learned several months ago is very similar to Kenny's one. But I play the 4th bar of each part like this: |ABAG EFGE| or |ABAG EFG2|.

It's a lovely flute tune, and of course one of my favourites. It's locally known as simply "Josie McDermott's" named after the composer.

# Posted on June 19th 2004 by slainte

The Trip to Birmingham

This tune has been among my favourite tunes. I used to play it with The Sligo Maid, but recently found it goes even better with the classic Sligo set: Down the Broom and The Gatehouse Maid. That's probably because there is some similarity between the opening phrases of this modern Sligo tune and Down the Broom.

Here's a slightly modified transcription of my version:

K: Dmaj
E|DGGF G2Bd | ~e3d edBA | ~G3B dGBG | ABAG EFGE |
DGGF G2Bd | ~e3d efga | bg~g2 ageg |dBAB G3:|
e|dggf g2 ga | bg~g2 edBA | ~G3B dGBG | ABAG EFG2 |
dggf g2 ga | bg~g2 edBA | ~G3B dGBG | AGFA G3e |
dggf g2 ga | bg~g2 edBA | ~G3B dGBG | ABAG EFG2 |
dg~g2 ag~g2 | bg~g2 edBA | ~G3B dGBG | AGFA G3 ||

It seems this lovely neat tune is not so common in some parts of the world. I tried playing the first half of the tune while joining a session in London just several days ago, but nobody recognised it.

# Posted on July 8th 2005 by slainte

Trip to Birmingham

Here are some variations from Traditional Irish Fiddle Music, Track 12: a.
Part A, second and third bars |eged edBA|G3B G3B|

# Posted on November 8th 2006 by enirehtac

Key

This reel is in “G” not “D”. Surprised if no-one knew it at that session “slainte”. This was the “Josie McDermott’s” reel recorded by Matt Molloy on his very 1st album. It’s also listed in one of the Bulmer & Sharpley collections as “The Pile Of Bricks”, but that’s the only place I’ve seen that title used, so it’s probably best ignored. Josie himself recorded it on his “Darby’s Farewell” LP as “The Trip To Birmingham”.

# Posted on November 9th 2006 by Kenny

Sorry. It's obvious, isn't it? I copied someone else's transcription first, and left the wrong key signature unchanged. James Carty recently recorded it on flute with his brother John on banjo.

# Posted on November 9th 2006 by slainte

"The Pile of Bricks" ~ Dave Bulmer & Neil Sharpley

"Music from Ireland, Volume Two"
ISBN: 0-9503784-10

page 3, tune #9

With a slight adjusted of the last bit into a lead-in, & minor corrections ~

X: 1
T: Pile of Bricks, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: G Major
|: GE |\
DGGF GABd | eged edBA | G3 B dGBG | ABAG ED ~D2 |
DGGF GABd | eged efga | bggb ageg | dBAB G2- :|
|: Bc |\
dggf g2 ga | bgag edBA | G3 B dGBG | ABAG ED ~D2 |
[1 dggf g2 ga | bgag edBA | G3 B dGBG | AGFA G2 :|
[2 dg ~g2 bg ~g2 | bgfa gedB | G3 B dGBG | AGFA G2 |]

A-part ~ Bulmer & Sharpley's 1st and second endings given for comparison , they did not have lead-ins ~

~ |[1 AGFA G3 E :|[2 AGFA G2 Bc ||

# Posted on January 17th 2008 by ceolachan

Here's a video of flute player James Mahon playing, "The Trip to Birmingham."

http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_207_5_james_mahon

Here's the slightly altered ABCs of his version.

X: 1
T: Trip To Birmingham, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
DGGF GAB/c/d | e2 ge edBA | G2 GB dGBG | ABAG EG DG |
DGGF GAB/c/d | e2 ge efga | bg g2 ageg |1 dBAB G3 E :|2 dBAB GABc ||
dggf g2 ga | bgag edBA | G2 GB dGBG | ABAG EG D2 |
|1dggf g2 ga | bgag edBA | G2 GB dGBG | AGFA GABc :|
|2dg g2 ag g2 | ab ag edBA | G3 B dGBG | AGFA G4 ||

# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Phantom Button