Pearl Shaughnessy's

barndance

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on March 17th 2005 by *Davy Rogers.

This tune has been added to 9 tunebooks.

Also known as Con Cassidy's, O'Shaughnessy's, Pearl O' Shaughnessy's, Pearl O'Shaughnessy's Barndances, Pearl O’Shaughnessy’s, Pearl's.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Cheap Present by Birkin Tree
• Altan: Live by Altan
• At The Racket by At The Racket
• Best Of 1987-1993 by Altan
• Ceol A'Ghleanna by Ciarán Ó Maonaigh
• Ceol Aduaidh by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh And Frankie Kennedy
• Cork Folk Festival Archive: Celebrating 21 Years by Various Artists
• Dance Music Of Ireland: Volume 12 by Matt Cunningham
• Drops Of Springwater by Karen Tweed
• Far From The Hills Of Donegal by Oisin McAuley
• Fidil by Ciarán Ó Maonaigh And Aidan O'Donnell
• In Full Spate by Paddy Glackin
• In The Tradition by Boys Of The Lough
• Jumping Ahead by Harriet Earis
• Like Magic by Todd Denman And Bill Dennehy
• Lost In The Loop by Liz Carroll
• Macalla Na HÓige by Hugh Healy And Colm Healy
• Magnificent Seven by Blazin' Fiddles
• Music For Peace by Gary Hastings And Frankie Gavin
• Shatter The Calm by Dan Beimborn
• Soulstice by Todd Denman And Aniar
• The Far Set by Michael Clarkson And Gerry Jones
• The Fiddle Music Of Donegal - Volume One by Various Artists
• The Fiddle Music Of Donegal - Volume Two by Various Artists
• The Red Crow by Altan
• The Smoky Chimney by Eoghan O'Sullivan, Gerry Harrington, Paul De Grae
• Toss The Fiddles by Various Artists
• Traditional Fiddle Music From Donegal by Con Cassidy
• Who? by Darren Maloney

X: 1
T: Pearl Shaughnessy's
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: barndance
K: Dmaj
|: d2 d2 dB ed | B2 B2 BA GB | d2 c2 cA FA | e2 d2 dB GB |
d2 d2 dB ed | B2 B2 BA GB | d2 c2 cA FA |1 GD B,D G2 Bc :|2 GD B,D G2 dc ||
|: B2 G2 GB dB | c2 A2 A2 cB | A2 F2 F2 DF | GF GB e2 dc |
B2 G2 GB dB | c2 A2 A2 cB | AG FE DE FD |1 G2 B2 G2 dc :|2 G2 B2 G2 Bc ||
|: dB ed B2 g2 | fe ge c2 eg | (3fgf ed (3fgf ed | (3BcB AG B2 Bc |
dB ed B2 g2 | fe ge c2 eg | (3fgf ed ^cd ef | g2 b2 g2 Bc :|
d2 b2 b2 c'b | a2 e2 e2 ag | (3fgf ed (3fgf ed | (3BcB AG B2 Bc |
d2 b2 b2 c'b | a2 e2 e2 ag | (3fgf ed ^cd ef | g2 b2 g2 Bc | g2 b2 g4 ||

Alternative title for Pearl Shaughnessy's Barndance

When I first learnt this tune (from my late friend accordion player Simon Knight, Wells, Somerset) he had the title "Con Cassidy's Barndance" for it. I have since heard it on a Paul Shaughnessy and Paul McGratten album (album name ?), and I seem to remember reading that Paul Shaughnessy got it from his mother (Pearl?). As it has four parts I generally play it on its own as it is a long tune with a few repeats.

# Posted on March 17th 2005 by *Davy Rogers

Is this really in D

Are you sure it is in D and not in G?

# Posted on March 17th 2005 by Ranks

also on the smokey chimney. definitely in G.

# Posted on March 18th 2005 by Dont

K: Gmaj

I think the Davey's own notation, specifically the '^c' , was trying to tell him the same thing, but we all miss the obvious at times. You can correct the ABCs 'Mr. Rogers', including the ending... In the meantime, here's another slant on this one, and I have several:

K: Gmaj
|: B>c |
d2 d2 d>Be>d | B2 B2 B>AG>B | d2 c2 c>A (3FGA | (3efe d2 B2 B>c |
d2 d2 d>Be>d | B2 B2 B>A (3GAB | d2 c2 A>F (3DEF | G2 B2 G2 :|
|: (3edc |
B2 G2 G>Bd>B | (3cdc A2 A2 c>B | A2 F2 F2 D>F | G>FG>B d>G (3edc |
(3BcB G>F G>Bd>B | c2 A2 A>dc>B | A>GF>E D>E (3FED | G2 g2 G2 :|
|: B>c |
d>Be>d B2 d>g | (3fgf g>e c2 e>g | (3fgf A>B c>de>d | (3BcB A>G B2 B>c |
(3ded e>d B2 g2 | f>eg>e c2 (3efg | (3fgf e>d ^c>de>f | g2 d2 G2 :|
|: (3edc |
d2 b2 b2 c'>b | a2 e2 e2 a>g | (3fgf A>B c>de>d | (3BcB A>G B>c (3edc |
d2 B2 b2 c'>b | (3aba e2 e2 a>g | (3fgf e>d ^c>de>f | g2 b2 g2 :|

# Posted on May 23rd 2005 by ceolachan

"Pearl O'Shaughnessy's Barndance" ~ F & another take in G

This can be played as is, a four parter, or taken as two seperate 32 bar barndances. They're fun however you take them, given here in two keys, F Major and G Major, and swung. I have never heard these played 'straight' but there's nothing to stop you from ironing it out, but I think it would lose something taken that way...but it might make a nice reel, given a little bit of adjustment here and there...

I found Pearl O'Shaughnessy's name attached to "The Hills of Tara" barndance, but suspect confusion there:

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2998/comments

I've also listened to Mary MacNamara's album and this is the one she does such a beautiful job on, just the one tune for the one track, lovely, relaxed, sweet. If not obvious, I highly recommended it... From Mary MacNamara's notes:

"I learned this barndance from the playing of fiddle player Pearl O'Shaughnessy - mother of fiddle player Paul O'Shaughnessy ~ . The tune is of Donegal origin but has remained nameless and now seems to have adopted Pearl's name."

K: F Major

|: A>B |
c4- c>Ad>c | A3 c A>GF>A | c2 B2 B>GE>G | d2 c2 c>AF>A |
c2 c2 c>Ad>c | A2 A2 A>GF>A | c2 B2 B>GE>G | F4- F2 :|
|: c>B |
A2 F2 F>Ac>A | B2 G2 G2 B>A | G2 E4 C2 | F>EF>A d2 c>B |
A2 F2 F>Ac>A | B2 G2 G2 B>A | G>FE>D C>BA>G | F4- F2 :|
|: A>B |
(3ccc d>c A2 f2 | e>df>d B3 f | (3eee d>c (3eee d>c | (3AAA G>F A2 A>B |
(3ccc d>c A2 f2 | e>df>d B3 f | e2 d>c B>cd>e | f2 a2 f2 :|
|: A>B |
c2 a6 | g2 d4 g>f | (3eee d>c (3eee d>c | (3AAA G>F A2 A>B |
c2 a6 | g2 d4 g>f | (3eee d>c B>cd>e | f2 a2 f2 :|

K: G Major

|: (3DGB |
d2 d2 d>Be>d | B2 B2 B>AG>B | d2 c2 A>FA>c | e2 d2 B>GB>c |
d2 d3 B e>d | B2 B3 A G>B | d2 c2 A>FD>F | G2 B2 G2 :|
|: (3edc |
B2 G2 G>Bd>B | (3cdc A2 A>Bc>B | A2 F2 D2 F2 | G>FG>B e>d^c>d |
B2 G2 G>B (3dcB | (3cdc A2 A3 B | A>GF>E D>cB>A | G2 B2 G2 :|
|: Bc |
(3ded e>d B2 g2 | f>eg>e c2 g2 | (3fgf A>B c>de>d | (3BcB A>G B2 B>c |
d2 e>d B2 g>e | f2 g>e c2 g>e | f2 e>d ^c>de>f | g2 d2 G2 :|
|: (3Bc^c |
d2 b2 b2 a>g | a2 e2 e2 a>g | (3fgf A>B c>de>d | (3BcB A>G B>^A (3Bc^c |
d2 b4 a>g | a2 e4 a>g | f2 (3fed ^c2 (3def | g2 b2 g2 :|

# Posted on July 18th 2005 by ceolachan

Who wrote it?

This past Saturday night, 24 March 2007, I asked Pearl if she wrote it and she said "Heaven no! It's something I learned years ago at a session somewhere. I can't even remember when. I played it for Macalla and they learned it and had no name for it so they put my name to it."

# Posted on March 26th 2007 by cocus

Familiar ~ but as two seperate schottisches / barndances

I should have made it clearer in my previous comments that I am familiar with these '2' tunes, though I haven't yet managed to dig up names for them. I knew them as two distinct tunes, which could be played in a set, a few times through one, then a few times through the other. They have been part of American old-time music, probably more so where there was a strong Scandinavian influence, and were played as schottisches, or barndances, accompanying the classic couple dances such tunes were party to.

Thanks for the additional confirmation cocusflute, but it has never been in doubt with me that the tunes predate Pearl O'Shaughnessy, and are probably from the last half of the 1800's... I would not be surprised if there were dots for them both somewhere in the Library of Congress collections...as well as in libraries this side of the Atlantic, maybe The Cecil Sharp House. Good people who might know of the top of their heads are the ol' 'International Concertina Society' folks in London...

# Posted on March 26th 2007 by ceolachan

There are other places to find dance collections of note ~ Paris in France and München / Munich in Germany...

# Posted on March 26th 2007 by ceolachan

This was also recorded by the early ceili bands, and I have it on an old recording, without a name, simply the name of the dance "Siamsa Beirta", and played the full 4 parts, just this tune... I'll transcribe it later and add it here...

# Posted on February 9th 2008 by ceolachan