The Coolin

waltz

Key signature: Cmajor

Submitted on July 11th 2003 by daithic.

This tune has been added to 136 tunebooks.

Also known as An Chuilfhionn, Though The Last Glimpse Of Erin, An Cúilfhionn, An Chúileann, An Chúilfhionn, An Ch�ilfionn, An Chuileann, An Chuilfhionn, An Chuilin, An Coolin, An Coulin, An Cuilfhoinn, An Cuilfion Le Atrugad, An Cuilrionn, Coolin, The Coolin', The Coolin, Coolun, The Coolun, Coulin, The Coulin, Cuilin, The Cuilin, The Fair-Haired Beauty, The Fair-Haired One, Had You Seen My Sweet Coolin, In This Calm Sheltered Villa, Lady Of The Desert, The Lady Of The Desert, My Fair-Haired Beauty, Oh! Hush The Soft Sigh, Oh! The Hours I Have Passed.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Tribute To Andy McGann by Joe Burke, Brian Conway And Felix Dolan
• An Buachaill Dreoite by Joe Ryan
• Champion Of Champions by Sean Maguire
• Citternalia by Joseph Sobol
• Cláirseach Na HÉireann, The Harp Of Ireland by Siobhán Armstrong
• Coleman's Cross: Tradtional Irish Music From County Sligo by Philip Duffy
• Eistigh Seal by Matt Cranitch
• Farewell New England's Shores by Skip Healy
• Festival Of Traditional Irish Music by Various Artists
• Flute For The Feis by John Doonan
• Fonnsheen by Fiona Davidson
• Gerry MacFadden by Gerry McFadden
• Goldfiddle by Matt McGranaghan
• In The Smoke by Various Artists
• Irish Fiddle Solos by Pete Cooper
• Irish Music by Various Artists
• Irish Whistles by Various Artists
• Leahy by Leahy
• Made In Cape Breton by The Cottars
• Milltown Lass by Rose Murphy
• O'Riada's Farewell by Sean O'Riada
• Play It By Ear by Dinny McLaughlin
• Potsticks by Sean Moloney
• Swarbrick 2 by Dave Swarbrick
• The Ancient Voice Of Ireland by Mick O'Brien
• The Belfast Harp Festival by Grainne Yeats
• The Best Of Seamus Tansey by Seamus Tansey
• The Blossom And The Rain by Carol Thompson
• The Bunch Of Keys: The Complete Recordings Of Johnny Doran by Johnny Doran
• The Coolin': Classic Slow Airs And Laments by Various Artists
• The Dubliners In Concert by The Dubliners
• The Floating Bow (Traditional Fiddle Music From Donegal) by John Doherty
• The Irish Folk Festival '01 by Various Artists
• The Jig's Up by Anne-Marie O'Farrell
• The King Of The Pipers by Leo Rowsome
• The Lark In The Clear Air by Various Artists
• The Last Of The Travelling Pipers by Felix Doran
• The Long Trip Home: Traditional Irish Music From D.C. And Baltimore by Josh Dukes
• The Master Pipers Volume 1 by Johnny Doran
• The Merry Love To Play by Peter Horan And Gerry Harrington
• The Mountain Road by Comhaltas Tour Group 1997
• The Rowsome Tradition: Five Generations Of Uileann Piping by Kevin Rowsome
• The Schoolmaster's House by Mike McHale
• Tiomnacht / Handed On by Eoin O Riabhaigh
• Toss The Feathers by Ted Furey And Brendan Byrne
• Traditional Irish Music (traditional Music Session From Belfast) by Various Artists
• Trasna Ceilidh Band by Trasna Ceilidh Band
• Trip Over The Mountain by Watkin Lees
• Tru The Years by Jim McKillop
• Volume One by Sean Maguire
• Wild Mountain Thyme by The McPeake Family

X: 1
T: Coolin, The
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Cmaj
G A/2B/2| (c2 B/2c/2) (d>B/1)| c2 E2 (3CEG|(c>B/1) cd/2e/2 d> c/1|
c2B2 c> B/1|A2> B/1 c/1 (d/2c/2) (B/2A/2)|G2 (EG) c G|B/2A/2G/2F/2 E C {D/2E/2}D C |
C4 G> F/1| (E>D/1) (C>D/1) (E>^F/1)|(G>^F/1 G>A/1) B> G/1|(c>B/1) (cd/2e/2) d> c/1|
(c2 B2) c> B/1|(A2> Bc) (d/2c/2) (B/2A/2)|G2 (EG) c G|B/2A/2G/2F/2 E C {D/2E/2}D C | C4||

The Coolin

I normally play this transposed to the key of G, there some variations, which I will try to include sometime.

# Posted on July 11th 2003 by daithic

Leahy's version

The details list this coolin as being one of Leahy's tunes, I don't think it is. They play a piece by the same name but I believe they composed it themselves.

# Posted on July 15th 2003 by Winnowill

Leahy's version

The details say no such thing.

All it says is:
"Recordings of a tune by this name:"

That's not the same as:
"Recordings of this tune"

# Posted on July 15th 2003 by Jeremy

Tip o' the Whistle

Help me out here. I think the Cheftains recorded this as tip of the whistle on album 3 or 4? Anyone? And isn't it: An Cuilin ?

# Posted on February 29th 2004 by windybaer

An Cuilin

Hi Whistle Bare,
I think you might be referring to An Sean Chuilfhionn on the Chieftains 5 album. That tune also a slow air is a much older tune and one which I will post in the near future if you want.

# Posted on April 5th 2004 by daithic

An Cuilin

I've been looking all over for the slow air version of the Coolin
The Dubs had this down as The Cuilin although I can't seem to track down my old vinyl copy.
Also I can't find a mention on Chieftains 5 of the track/tune you mention. (I know they often lump loads of good tunes together under questionable headers)
If anyone can help with a recording/source I'd be gratefull
Djimbo.

# Posted on June 11th 2004 by djimbo

An cuilin

Djimbo,
An sheanchuilfhionn is on track 5 as Knock the door, it is after two Clare Reels, actually I think you might find it listed on this board under the recordings category for the Chieftains 5 album.
I intend to post the sean chuilfionn air soon.
regards daithic

# Posted on July 22nd 2004 by daithic

Bar lengths

The version here is full of impossible bar lengths for 3/4 time. Some of it is easy to see that quavers should be semiquavers. But how should bars 6 and 14 be played?

# Posted on June 2nd 2005 by Lissagriffin

"The Coolin" ~ marchified

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/5203

# Posted on November 20th 2005 by ceolachan

Fiddlers companion has lots of info/history and abc's of this tune/title.
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/COO_CORI.htm#COOLUN/COOLIN

In correct meter, they give as an air.

T:Coolun
T:An Chuilfhionn
C:Air
M:3/4
L:1/8
R:waltz
Q:105
S:Gow – 2nd Repository (1802)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:D
|:(3ABc|d2 ~d>f (f/e/)d/c/|~d2 A2 (3DFA|d2 (de/f/) {f}e>d|(d2c)z ~d>c|
~(B2 B)c/d/ (e/d/)(c/B/)|A2 (FA) (d>A)|(c/B/)A/G/ F2 E2|D4:|
|:A>G|~F>E (D>E) (FG)|A>^G AB cA|~d>c (de/f/) ed|(d2c2) d>c|
~B2 (B/c/d/c/) (e/d/)(c/B/)|A2 (FA) d>A|(c/B/)(A/G/) F2 E2|D4:|

... but I have to admit, I really do like John Doherty's rendition on The Floating Bow http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display.php/316

# Posted on June 17th 2006 by philmoz

"An Chúilfhionn" / An Coolin' / The Coolin'

http://www.irishtune.info/
http://www.irishtune.info/rhythm/top-airs.htm
Most-Recorded Airs: The Top Ten Airs of the 20th Century

#9 | Air | Coolin, The / An Chúilfhionn / An Chuilfhionn / An Chúileann / The Coulin / Though the Last Glimpse of Erin / In this Calm Sheltered Villa / Oh! Hush the Soft Sigh / The Lady of the Desert

With the dots and with lyrics in Irish and an English translation, the Irish as sung by sean nós singer Terry Kane / Treasa Ní Chatháin:

http://www.cranfordpub.com/langan/Coolin.htm

Terry Kane / Treasa Ní Chatháin
Her first CD on Ossian ~ "Some Sean Nós"
http://www.treasa.net/

Coolin' is one of the most popular airs in Irish, see above, #9 on the IrishTuneInfo list... Within this popularity scale it also features as a choice for some for their wedding music... It is placed here in the waltz category by nature of the basic time signature ~ 3/4. It is one of our 'fiddles' here on the site that we don't have a section for airs or for marches because of the varied time signatures they come in...

Historically, this is in the Bunting collection (1773 - 1843) where he gives it as a 'harp air'... However, Bunting, and I want to use the word 'bowdlerized', but that isn't quite right ~ he didn't leave well enough alone. He was a 'romantic' about it all, which many of us can understand, placing its origins, as he imagined it, back in the 13th Century, but also he answered the demands of his peers and public, so motivated to in some part please the tastes of his time by 'adjusting' the music ever so much to meet his and their expectations and preconceptions ~ 'COMMERCIAL' demands... This cannot and shouldn't take away from a very important early collection ~ and he is responsible in large part for the continuance and survival of the harp in Eire, whether or not that makes you happy... He deserves respect despite his failings, weaknesses or influences. The 'essence' of those airs he collected are hard to do too much damage to, and many remained as carried along by tradition. While they changed under his guidance, choices and pen, like sean nos, they are a power beyond transcription ~ which can only give the hint, dem bones...

I also like Doherty's playing of this air, though he likes it a bit more spritely than most. For pipes, some choices, there's Felix Doran's, Leo & Kevin Rowsome, Eoin Ó Riabhaigh, and I quite like the take on it by Joe Burke and Máire Ní Chathasaigh ~ on one of my favourite albums: "The Tailor's Choice"... It was also a favourite of Seán Ó Riada and features on the recordings "Ceol na Nuasal: Music of the Nobles" (featuring Seán Ó Sé) & "Ó Riada's Farewell" (keyboard)... Among the sung choices, the best place to learn to play any air is from sean nos singing, there is that of of Maire Ni Ceocain Ui Crualai (Seán Ó Riada at work again) on the double CD, 44 songs ~ "Cú-Cú-Ín"... http://www.musicscotland.com/

For a take on the march ~ hell, Paul O'Shaugnessy & Harry Bradley on their album "Born for Sport" ~ good kick...fine playing...great sport...

For Gow (given above, 1902), Joyce (1909) & Petrie (1905) collections ~ ABC transcriptions of these are available via the link given previously by 'philmoz' to that excellent resource "The Fiddler's Companion" website... NOTE: be wary of all references via 'Flood', who is a source of some of the fiction with regards to Irish music and its history...

# Posted on June 17th 2006 by ceolachan

An Chúilfhionn / The Coolin' ~ a choice of keys...

Along with the key of C as given here in the transcription, and the key of D given in the comments, it is also played in G as in the transcription via Paul Cranford's site, the link just given in the previous comment, and in F in Joyce's "Old Irish Folk Music and Songs", 1909...

# Posted on June 17th 2006 by ceolachan

Language & Sets

1) I don't know Gaelic. Can anyone venture an opinion if the name/word 'colleen' is a variant of 'coulin'? Or prehaps vice versa or is there no connection?

2) A Cape Breton influenced group I know of, called Keltic Reign, does a set with Coulin followed by Captain Campbell's strathspey. It works rather nicely.

# Posted on March 31st 2007 by troisrive

I really like Eugene Odonnel and James McCafferty's version on their LP the Foggy Dew. If there was ever a standard for slow airs for me it is these two. There is another part in this version. It's also in the O'Neal Collection.

# Posted on December 12th 2008 by mactcampbell