The Sheep In The Boat

jig

Key signature: Edorian

Submitted on February 27th 2004 by Will CPT.

This tune has been added to 61 tunebooks.

Also known as Anach Chuain, Anach Cuain, Annach Cuain, Eanach Dhúin.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Kindly Welcome by Na Fili
• An Bhabog Sa Bhadog by Kevin Crehan
• Another Time by Gavin Whelan
• Are You The Concertina Player? by Kate McNamara
• Five After Four by Tim Hart
• From West To East - Live Sessions by Various Artists
• Happy To Meet by P.J. Crotty, Carol Cullinan, James Cullinan
• Humours Of Lissadell by Seamus And Manus McGuire
• Irish Heritage: Ireland's Musical Tradition (CD 1) by Various Artists
• Late... In The Night by Christy Barry, Conor McCarthy, Cyril O'Donoghue
• Musical Memories by Tom Dunne And Joe Banjo Burke
• Promotional Recording by Tim Hart
• Rip The Calico by Paul Dooley
• Some Foriegn Land by Colcannon
• Sporting Nell by Tommy McCarthy
• The Best Of Seamus Tansey by Seamus Tansey
• The New Road by Charlie Piggot And Gerry Harrington
• Traditional Irish Music On Flute And Guitar by Jack And Jimmy Coen
• Traditional Irish Tunes Played On The Tin Whistle (2/2) by Geraldine Cotter
• Wooden Flute Obsession: Volume 2, Disc 1 by Various Artists

X: 1
T: Sheep In The Boat, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Edor
|: BEF GFE | FEF def | edB BAF | AFE FED |
BEF G2 A | FEF def | edB {d}BAF | AFE E2 A :|
|: B2 e ede | fef d2 f | edB BAF | AFE FGA |
Bee ede | fef def | edB BAF | AFE E2 A |
Bee ede | ~f3 def | edB BAF | AFE FED |
B,EF GFE | ~F3 def | edB {d}BAF | AFE EFA |

The Sheep in the Boat

I learned this tune originally in D dorian (see below) off a fluter using a C flute. Then Tish was kind enough to transcribe a setting off of Kevin Crehan's An Bhadog in E dorian, which makes more sense for D whistles, flutes, and pipes. And it works just fine in either key on fiddle. The setting Ive posted here is a blend of the two sources, though probably more loyal to the C flute version.

If you know the Killavil Jig, this E dorian setting will sound familiar, but I like the passing notes in Sheep in the Boat.

Here's how it looks in D dorian, a nice low, somber and slow tune for fiddle:

X: 1
T: The Sheep in the Boat
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: D Dorian
|: ADE FDE | ~E3 cde | dcA AGE | GED EDC |
| ADE F2 G | EDE c2 e | dcA AGE | GED D3 :||
| A2 d dcd | ede c2 e | dcA AGE | GED EFG |
| Add dcd | ede cde | dcA AGE | GED DE/F/G |
| A2 d dcd | ede c2 e | dcA AGE | GED EDC |
| A,DE FED | ~E3 cde | dcA AGE | GED D3 ||

And the title's a classic

# Posted on February 27th 2004 by Will CPT

Sheep in the boat

This seems to be a jig version of the song air Annach Cuain---a really nice adaptation

# Posted on March 4th 2004 by cruiser

Aaarrrggghhh. Thanks John. I knew I'd heard this before and knew it by another name. Heh, it's funny that there are so many tunes that you can inadvertently learn the same tune twice and not realize it till someone else points it out.

# Posted on March 4th 2004 by Will CPT

And of course it's one I posted here myself some time ago: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/262

sheesh.

# Posted on March 4th 2004 by Will CPT

Just read Alice Flynn's comments on the air... I now wonder whether "The Sheep in the Boat" is a reference to the parishioners who drowned, presumably helpless as sheep?

# Posted on March 4th 2004 by Tish

David, that's my recollection of it too, although I'm also free-associating this with some not-too-old movie where a dinghy is capsized in a storm, a man drowns, and there's a sheep involved (must be time to limit my intake of porter...everything's so foggy .

# Posted on March 5th 2004 by Will CPT

Version by Tara Diamond on Wooden Flute Obsession

Hi, here is transcription of Tara Diamonds playing. Mind the {g}-Notes are supposed to be cuts and .x means play x short.
Hope, you like it:

X: 1
T: Sheep In The Boat, The
C: Tara Diamond "Wooden Flute Obsession 2" (disc 1, track 3)
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Edor
"1"BEF {A}GFE | ~F3 def | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE FED |
BEF G2 A | ~F3 def | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z |
BEF {A}G2E | ~F3 d3 | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE {F}FED |
BEF .G2 A | FEF .d2f | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z |
"5"{c}B2 e ede | ~f3 .d2 f | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE {G}FED |
BBe ede | .f2f def | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z |
BeB ~e3 | {g}fef Adf | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE {G}FED |
BEF .G2A | ~F3 .d2f | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z |
BEF GFE|~F3 def|{g}edB BAF|{B}AFE {G}FED|
"10"BEF G2 A | ~F3 Adf | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z |
BEF .G2 E | ~F3 dcd | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE {G}FED |
BEF G2 A | FEF .d2 f | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z|
B2e ede | .f2f def | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE {G}FED |
Bee .ede | fef .d2f | edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z |
"15"B2e ede | ~f3 Adf | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE {G}FED |
BEF .G2A | ~F3 .d2f | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z |
BEF {A}G2E|~F3 d2f|{g}edB BAF|{B}AFE {G}FED|
BEF .G2 A | FEF def | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z |
BEF ~G3|~F3 Adf|{g}edB BAF | {B}AFE {G}FED |
"20"BEF .G2 A | ~F3 Adf | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z |
BB e ede | ~f3 .d2 f | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE {G}FED |
Bee .ede | .f2f def | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z |
~B3 eBe|~f3 .d2 f | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE {G}FED |
BEF .G2 A | ~F3 .d2 f | {g}edB BAF | {B}AFE E2 z ||

# Posted on February 9th 2007 by brotherstorm

Junior Crehan tune

This is in Junior Crehan's book of tunes under this name. It's played locally here but no one could remember tune name - then I heard it played in Miltown this year by Junior's son & daughter, I think. They called it 'Sheep in the Boat' which had me look it up in his book.

# Posted on August 14th 2007 by the wounded hussar