Sonny's Return

reel

Key signature: Aminor

Submitted on October 24th 2003 by Lia Zito.

This tune has been added to 68 tunebooks.

Also known as In Memory Of Coleman, Mary Mac's, Mary McNamara, Paddy Lynn's Delight, Paddy Lynn's Delite, Paddy Lynn’s Delight.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

A Clare Conscience by Aidan McMahon And Anthony Quigney
A Fig For A Kiss by Providence
A Letter Home by Athena Tergis
A Traveler's Dream by Maggie Sansone
A Traveler's Dream by Maggie Sansone
A Tribute To Michael Coleman by Joe Burke, Andy McGann And Felix Dolan
A Whistle On The Wind by Joanie Madden
An Traidisiun Beo by Angelina Carberry
At It Again by John Carty
Bimis Ag Ol by Ronan Le Bars
Celtic Breeze by Celtic Breeze
Celtic Dances by Various Artists
Celtic Thunder by Celtic Thunder
Draiocht by Michael Rooney And June McCormack
Driven by Donall Donnelly And Brian Hanlon
Ebony And Brass by Marc Pollier
Inishkeeragh by Brenda McCann
Jamie Smith by Jamie Smith
Keelwest by Paul McGrattan
Music At The House by Brendan Bulger, Marty Fahey And Kathleen Gavin
Oi�che Go Maidean by Brendan Begley
Plays The Irish Tenor Banjo by Kieran Hanrahan
Potsticks by Sean Moloney
Selection Box by Conor McCarthy And Alph Duggan
Taking Note by Meitheal Cheoil
The Angel's Share by Atlantic Wave
The Blue Bottle by InisFail
The Dawn by Shaskeen
The Luck Penny by Seamus Bugler
The Music Of Ed Reavy by Various Artists
The Nervous Man by Mícheál O' Raghallaigh
The Silver Spire by Karen Tweed
Traditional Irish Music From Boston by The Magic Square
Traditional Music From East Clare by Mary MacNamara
Traditional Music Of Ireland by Paddy Carty And Conor Tully
Traditional Music Of Ireland by Joe Burke
Traditional Music Of Ireland And The Bucks Of Oranmore by Joe Burke And Charlie Lennon
Wooden Flute Obsession Disk 2 by Various Artists

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

I learned this from 'Keiran Hanrahan Plays the Irish Tenor Banjo' and notice it was one of the few tunes from that album not yet posted so thought I would share.

# Posted on October 24th 2003 by Lia Zito

Bmin Version

Here is this tune in Bmin Key:
X:1
T:Paddy Lynn's Delight
M:4/4
R:reel
K:Bmin
fBBc dcBA|F~A3 BAFE|FBBc dcBc|defa bafe|
fBBc dcBA|F~A3 BAFA|1 defa bafe|dBBA ~B3 b:|2 defa bafe|dBBA ~B3 c||
d2fd adfe|d2fa bafe|d2fd adfd|effe dBBc|
d2fd adfe|d2fa bafe|1 fbba affe|dBBA ~B3 c:|2 fbba affe|dBBA ~B3 b||

# Posted on May 5th 2005 by sligo_mm

Sonny's Return

Having heard June McCormack's beautiful interpretation of the tune on the radio, I invented my own version of it by mixing her version and Paul McGrattan's. Something like this:

The low G's in the second part make the tune more playable and nicer on the flute, I think.

# Posted on November 1st 2005 by slainte

Origin of the name 'Paddy Lynn's Delight'

Joe Burke's comment at http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/paddy_lynns_delight/

I recorded this tune in 1965 on an album called “A Tribute to Michael Coleman “ which featured Andy McGann Felix Dolan and Myself. I have no idea now where I got the tune . When it came to listing the tracks there were a few tunes we could not find titles for. Paddy Lynn RIP was a bus driver in New York and a great lover of the music. He came from Co Mayo .The recording was done in” Broadway Recording Studio” on November 4 1965 and Paddy was with us to provide some support and refreshments. Someone suggested the title for this lovely tune and it is known as Paddy Lynn"s Delight ever since. May Paddy and the good people who created the tune rest in peace. Joe Burke.

# Posted on March 22nd 2007 by dogbox

I just did an attempt at transcribing John Carty's version, though he plays it differntly every time through
X:1
T:Paddy Lynn's Delight
M:4/4
R:reel
K:Gmin
||:Bc|dGGA BAGF|D~F3 GFDF|G2Ac BAGB|(3ABc dc c2 gf|
dGGA BAGF|D~F3 GFDF|1 GABd gfdc|BcAF ~G2:|2 GABd gfdc|BcAF ~G2 Ac||
B2fB gBfB|B2df gbfd|B2fB gBfB|ccdc BGGA|
B2fB gBfB|Bcdf g2 gf|1 gbag fdcA|DGGF G2 Ac:|2 gbag fdcA|DGGF G2||

# Posted on May 30th 2007 by Donough

There's no e's in the tune so the Eflat doesn't really matter.

# Posted on May 30th 2007 by Donough

Origin of the name Sonny's Return

The tune was composed in the 1940s by George Rowley (Leitrim, fiddle) & Ned Stapelton (Dublin, flute) in honour of Sonny Brogan upon his return to Dublin from England.

I suspect this article was written by one of Brogan's relatives: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Brogan (look at the 1930s & 1940s section, 2nd paragraph)

A member of my family (a Rowley) tells the same story about the tune. Funny, I have that Kieran Hanrahan album and have played it to death at this stage and never realised my grandfather had co-written one of the tunes on it until last week!

# Posted on December 29th 2008 by yer_man

This tune is recorded on "The Music of Ed Reavy" as one of his own compositions, titled "In Memory of Coleman"...Which is why it would also be recorded on "A Tribute to Michael Coleman"...Which is why Sonny Brogan would have played the tune, being a great admirer of Coleman, to the point of having been attributed as the composer.

Reavy tunes crossed and recrossed the Atlantic, and he shared his tunes freely, so that it would have been very easy to cause confusion as to who composed some of his tunes...And this is a great tune! Everyone should have this one in their repertoire!

# Posted on February 17th 2009 by c.smitty

After re-reading the liner notes from "The Music of Ed Reavy", I would mention that Mick Moloney says that Michael Coleman stayed with Ed Reavy at his home in Phila., and Ed, the Legend, visited Michael Coleman in NY. These great fiddlers were well acquainted...And so, the memorial.

# Posted on February 17th 2009 by c.smitty

"In Memory of Coleman" is a different tune: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/619

# Posted on February 17th 2009 by slainte

Not true...

This tune is not on the "Music of Ed Reavy" tribute recording as far as I recall. No reason why it should be, if it was composed by Messrs Rowley & Stapleton, as stated above. Someone has given it the wrong title. Did you listen to the Reavy recording before commenting, "c.smitty" ?

# Posted on February 17th 2009 by Kenny

Yes, indeed, I did. As I said before, Reavy tunes crossed and recrossed the Atlantic. I will quote Mr. Mick Moloney from the liner notes, "Many of the players couldn't remember where they learned the tunes." And again, "There is overwhelming evidence that most singers and musicians in most folk cultures use, consciously, a whole host of formulaic devices and improvisations ..."

It would not be unthinkable for a musician to play this tune in the ubiquitous key a Dmajor instead of Gminor, which is the key of the Reavy composition.

That is an interesting story above...I wonder who got the tune from whom. I have not heard the Kieran Hanrahan recording.

# Posted on February 18th 2009 by c.smitty

I already knew this tune as Paddy Lynn's Delight. I was listening to "The Music of Ed Reavy" and thought I was hearing Paddy Lynn's Delight and wondered if Reavy composed PDL , and checked the track listing, to find it was "In Memory of Coleman".

I would also like to say that, if I was to play this tune in a session, I would refer to it as "Paddy Lynn's Delight" because of the key and the few bar differences. Since I live close to Reavy country, I will learn this tune from the Reavy Collection, on the Bflat whistle, and refer to it as "In Memory of Reavy"...But I will play both as close as possible to Paddy Cronin's version.

# Posted on February 18th 2009 by c.smitty

Funny thing, Michael Copeland spent this last weekend at our home. I played "The Music of Ed Reavy" cd and when "In Memory of Coleman" played he asked, "What tune is that? I think I know that one." He taught it to me as Paddy Lynn's Delight.

# Posted on February 27th 2009 by c.smitty

Wrong....

2 different tunes. This reel, as posted here, is not on the Ed Reavy LP. Never has been.

# Posted on February 27th 2009 by Kenny

Listen closely. Different keys, same basic melodies with some inverted bars. In the '50's, when one would have heard a tune, say, on the radio, or a record, it would be learned via what was heard, most likely. On a D whistle, In Memory of Coleman, as played by Paddy Cronin, would have come out similar to this tune.

# Posted on March 1st 2009 by c.smitty

Kenny's right, obviously. They are completely different tunes.

# Posted on March 1st 2009 by slainte

Correction to comments of 2/18...I will refer to the tune as played on the Bflat whistle as "In Memory of Coleman".

I respect and appreciate the opinions of others and acknowledge the distinctions between the two versions as noted above.

Can anyone post a version of "In Memory of Coleman" which is suitable for the D whistle, similar to Paddy Cronin's version, which is different from this tune, under the comments for that tune? It is not whistle friendly, as a number of Reavy tunes are not, being even somewhat difficult on the Bflat whistle.

I'd be interested to see that/play that.

# Posted on March 5th 2009 by c.smitty