Key signature: Dmajor
Submitted on May 21st 2001 by Jeremy.
This tune has been added to 162 tunebooks.
Also known as Frainc A Phoill’s, Frainc A'Phoill, Frainc A'Phoill's, Frainc An Phoill, Frank Of The Hollow, King Of The Pipers, The King Of The Pipers.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Franc A'Phoill
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
|:A2D B2D|A2G FED|A2D B2D|GAG FED|A2D B2D|A2G FED|
=CEG =cBA|GAG FED:|dfa afd|ded cAG|FGA =cAF|GEF GFE|
dfa afa|geg fdf|e=cA FGA|GEF GFE:|dfd dfd|dAG FED|
dfd dAF|GEF GED|dfd cec|BdB AFD|=CEG =cBA|GAG FED:|
|:dDD cDD|BDD ADD|dDD cDD|GAG FED|
dDD cDD|BDD ADD|=CEG =cBA|GAG FED:|
I've heard this one played slow, and I've heard it played fast and I think a nice, slow pace suits the tune better.
The combination of C sharps and C naturals can be tricky at first, but it gives the tune that little something special.
You might know this tune as "King of the pipers". This is the title Altan used when they recorded a nice, slow version of this jig. Confusingly, they then recorded the other "King of the pipers" a couple of albums later.
Here's a great piece of detective work by Zina Lee:
"I wrote Kevin Glackin of Scoiltrad (www.scoiltrad.com) about this, as he teaches a class on Scoiltrad on King of the Pipers, asking him about the mystery of the names and asking which version was the one he teaches. His reply:
'I have just put the phone down to my friend Tom Sherlock (Altan's manager) where we played the two versions on the different albums over the phone.
The answer to your question is neither.
The version I am teaching was recorded indeed by Altan on an earlier album called the Red Crow and the title they gave the tune was Hudai Gallaghers jig.
This is not unusual for a tune to have several titles, it happens all the time. However the title King of the Pipers refers to about five different jigs all from the Donegal area.
The one on the Blackwater album is a three part jig that I will be teaching at Scoiltrad, I have recorded it on an album with my brother (Seamus) called Northern Lights on the Gael Linn label. The tune that is up on the site at the moment is one I got from James Byrne from Glenclomcille, Co Donegal.'
So there, that's likely the most definitive answer we're ever going to get, if one can call anything about Irish music definitive. I've often heard of a tune with lots of names, but I'd never realized that there was a title with so many tunes! (Sounds like Kipling's Cat. Or Pooh!)"
# Posted on June 1st 2001 by Jeremy
While at the Catskills festival, Jackie Daly started up this tune one night at Furlong's. It ended up largely being me and him playing the thing; I was surprised no one else seemed to know the tune, which I love -- the Altan version is the one I first heard. After, Jackie told me that this is the Mayo variant of this jig.
# Posted on July 30th 2005 by Zina Lee
Franc A'Phoill (jig)
Our tune workshop teacher introduced us to this tune last night. We all fell in love with it immediately.
# Posted on November 11th 2005 by Trevor Jennings
Oisin MacAuley does a great version fo this tune on "Up in the Air" the Danu album where every member does a couple solos, but he calls it King of the Faires.
# Posted on January 27th 2006 by Why Bother?
King Of The Pipers - 5-part setting
There's a 5-part version of this jig on Altan's Harvest Storm. The liner notes say that "Ciaran Curran heard this lovely five part version of "The King Of The Pipers" many years ago on a visit to the house of the late Mickey and Francie Byrne of Kilcar, Co. Donegal".
Posted for my friend Margot who said she wanted the dots. Hi Margot - cut & paste the abc into the box here http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html and click on "submit". It's important that you get all the headers in, including the "X".
X: 1
T: King Of The Pipers
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
S: Altan: Harvest Storm
K: Dmix
A2F B2F|A2G FED|A2F B2F|GFG GFD|
A2F B2F|A2G FED|GAB cAF|GFG AFD:|
|:dfa afd|d^cd ecA|GAB =cAF|GFG AFD|
dfa afa|geg fdA|GAB cAF|GFG AFD:|
|:d2e d2A|d2e dcA|d2e dcA|GFG AFD|
d2e d2A|d2e dcA|GAB cAF|GFG AFD:|
|:def def|def e^cA|def def|GFG AFD|
def def|def e^cA|GAB =cAF|GFG AFD:|
|:Ddd Dcc|DBB Dcc|Ddd Dcc|GFG AFD|
Ddd Dcc|DBB DAA|GAB cAF|GFG AFD:|
Flute and fiddle have a nice turnaround from the final bar back into the A-part: |GAG GFG||A...
# Posted on March 23rd 2006 by Dr. Dow
Meaning of the title
Apparently "Frainc An Phoill" pr. (I think) [frank-a-fwil] means "Frank Of The Hollow".
# Posted on March 23rd 2006 by Dr. Dow
Sounds great on Scottish Smallpipes
I absolutely love this tune. I play a version of this on my smallpipes using the D chanter and the D bariton and alto drones. The chanter is limited to Dmix, so I use all C naturals. It is a workout though, I'm usually sweating by the second time through!
# Posted on May 20th 2008 by jasonlburnfield
Correction
Oops, the previous post should read "...D baritone...".
# Posted on May 20th 2008 by jasonlburnfield
All-Ireland senior button accordion champion (2005 and 2007) Damien Mullane plays this four-part jig in this video.
http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_259_5_damien_mullane
# Posted on July 12th 2008 by Phantom Button
Danu have this as King of the Fairies
On the album Up in the Air
# Posted on December 12th 2010 by Eachann mac Bodach