Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Caher Rua

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on August 15th 2005 by Kenny.

This tune has been added to 22 tunebooks.

Also known as Cathair Rua, Ceathru Cavan, Red-Haired Charles.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Around St. James' Well by Carmel Gunning
Drops Of Spring Water by Comhaltas Concert Tour 2004
Glackin by Paddy Glackin
Irish Traditional Fiddle Music by John Kelly And James Kelly With Michael Crehan And Michael Gavin
Overland by Randal Bays And Daithi Sproule
Seoda Ceoil by Various Artists
The Celebrated Recordings by John Doherty
Traditional Music On Fiddle, Banjo, And Harp by Oisin MacDiarmada, Brian Fitzgerald, And Michael O Ruanaigh

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Caher Rua

This is one of those tunes I find hardly anyone plays the same way as anyone else, not that it's a tune I've heard played all that often, for some reason. This is probably a bit of a "mongrel" version, so if anyone wishes to add other "abc" versions, please feel free to do so.
I would associate it with the playing of Donegal fiddlers, such as Tommy Peoples and Paddy Glackin, who have both recorded it. I was reminded of it when "Ptarmigan" was reminiscing in a discussion about the Ennis fleadh in 1977 which we were both at. It was played in a duets competition on fiddle and concertina.

# Posted on August 15th 2005 by Kenny

P.S.

I should have mentioned that this reel has an unusual structure. It has 2 ½ parts – the 1st 8 bars are played and repeated, followed by 16 bars, and a 3rd part of only 8 bars,
[ which is really only a variation of the 1st part ]. Hope that doesn’t cause confusion.

# Posted on August 16th 2005 by Kenny

Also known as Ceathru Cavan?

This lovely tune was recorded as Caher Rua by John Kelly Sr. on his solo fiddle and concertina CD. It was also recorded on a 1977 television program by Kelly along with sons John Jr. and James. This latter version appears on the Come West Along the Road DVD where it was given the title Ceathru Cavan. The structure played by the Kelly family is as Kenny transcribed, though the third part is only four bars instead of eight - after the 4 bars that begin "defd cdec" they go back to the first part. To my ears anyway. Confusing enough? As Kenny wrote -- a tune "hardly anyone plays the same way as anyone else" . Great reel anyway!

# Posted on January 8th 2006 by Matt Harris

After listening again, both Kelly recordings I mentioned earlier end with an 8 bar third part the last time through. The first part and the last four bars of the third part are nearly identical, so it's difficult to tell if they are A: not repeating the 8 bar first part the second time through, or B: only playing the first four bars as the third part - until the last time through! Weird structure for sure.

Also, I have a copied recording of John Kelly Sr.'s Fiddle and Concertina Player, which includes the tune above, along with 15 additional tracks that don't appear on the listing of the Topic record in the recordings section. Does anyone know of other solo / unaccompanied recordings by John Kelly that might include these tunes?

# Posted on January 8th 2006 by Matt Harris

Caher Rua

I'd love to know what's going on with the structure of this reel. I heard it played at a session in Wales by our very own John Gillard and What?!!? At first I thought that they were playing that 3rd part simply as a variation of the 1st part like the Norbeck version because they were only playing the 1st part without repeats, unlike Kenny's setting:

X: 1
T:Red-Haired Charles
R:reel
D:Paddy Glackin: Ceol ar an bhFidil le Paddy Glackin.
Z:id:hn-reel-177
M:C|
K:D
d2dA BAFB|A3B AFEF|D2FA BAFB|ABde feef|
dA~A2 BAFB|AFBF AFEF|D2FA BAFB|1 ABde fddA:|2 ABde fdd2||
|:dD~D2 dDFA|dcde fdef|g2eg fedf|~e3f edBc|
dD~D2 dDFA|dcde fdef|1 g2eg fdec|AFGE EDFA:|2 g2eg fdfa|gabg effe||
"Variation of 1st part:"
d2fd cedc|~B3d AFEF|D2FA BAFB|ABde feef|

But then at the end of the tune they played an 8 bar 3rd part to round it off as Matt Harris says above, which suggests that they interpret it as a part in its own right as opposed to just a variation.

On one of the transcriptions I found on the net, it tells you to play the whole thing AABCABC, where the A part is 8 bars long. Weird or what.

# Posted on February 5th 2007 by Dow

I'd be tempted to iron out the structure of the whole thing and play it like this:

X: 1
T:Red-Haired Charles
R:reel
M:C|
K:D
d2fd cedc|~B3d AFEF||D2FA BAFB|ABde feef|
dA~A2 BAFB|AFBF AFEF|D2FA BAFB|ABde fddc:|
|:dD~D2 ADFA|dcde fdef|g2eg fedf|egfd edBc|
dD~D2 dDFA|dcde fdef|1 g2eg fcdB|AFGE D2FA:|2 g2eg fdfa|gabg efge||

Maybe I'd be missing out on the quirkiness of the tune but at least then it wouldn't sound too much like Speed The Plough in the A-part.

# Posted on February 5th 2007 by Dow

Here's John and David's version:

X: 1
T: Caher Rua
T: Red-haired Charles
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
d3A BAFB|AFAB AFEF|DEFA BAFB|ABde fgfe|
d3A BAFB|AFBF AFEF|DEFA BAFB|ABde fddc||
% Repeat A-part and play 16 bars 1st time through tune but play as written thereafter
|:dD~D2 DEFA|Adde fdef|~g3e fedf|(3efg fd edBc|
dD~D2 DEFA|~d3e fdef|1 ~g3e fedB|AFEF DEFA:|2 ~g3e fedf|(3efg fd edBc||
defd cdec|BcdB AFEF|DEFA BAFB|ABde fgfe|
d3A BAFB|AFBF AFEF|DEFA BAFB|ABde fddc||

# Posted on February 5th 2007 by Dow

Caher Rua

Listen to Robbie Hannan and Dermot McLaughlin play this reel together: http://www.frankiekennedy.com/03robbiedermot_2pieces.mp3(From Frankie Kennedy Winter School mp3 Archive: http://www.frankiekennedy.com/mp3.html)

# Posted on May 31st 2007 by slainte

Oops.http://www.frankiekennedy.com/03robbiedermot_2pieces.mp3

# Posted on May 31st 2007 by slainte

Id say this tune was resurected from the dots at a guess.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga4qocQkH0A&feature=related

The last 8 bars are a 'variation' of the first 8 bars. so the structure is as normal. However 2nd time round they play the last 8 bars [variation of p1]and move into the wild Irishman . this could be where the confusion has arisen.
Either playing the last 8 as a 3rd part, repeating it an then repeating p1 . a 3 part reel. Or not playing the last8 before the change would bring it back into line for the dancers.

# Posted on November 16th 2007 by the wicked hacker

I didn't "resurrect" it from any dots. If you read what I posted above, I told you where the transcription came from. Your "guess" is totally wrong.

# Posted on November 16th 2007 by Kenny

Ceathru Cavan

I've just been learning this tune from the John, John and James Kelly version on YouTube from1977. The structure, at least the way *they* play it, seems clear to me - normal two part reel structure, but with the rule that when you go back to the first part, you play it (or notes to this effect)

| defd (3Bcded | BcdB AFEF | D2 etc,

and then ending on that part, played once. I know I've come across other tunes that do this sort of 'mutation' of the first part when you go back to it, but can't bring any to mind right now ...

What I *am* struggling with is the fact that it feels as if the tune's deliberately ambiguous as to where the bar line is. Most of the time, the tune feels as if it's half a bar out from where the bar lines have to go by reference to the ending in order to produce regular, 8-bar phrases. I keep wondering if I'm playing it right, and having to check with the Kellys and, mainly to my surprise, I am ...

Scratching my head here ... lovely, lovely tune though ...

# Posted on December 18th 2007 by benhall.1

Sorry Ben, I think you've missed something here. It's not a normal 2-part reel structure at all, otherwise why would you "end on that part, played once"? Nothing "normal" about that, seeing as it makes the whole tune 8 bars longer than dancers would expect. I think it's extremely unusual.

# Posted on April 13th 2008 by Dow

Ceathru Cavan

Well, Dow, I did say I was scratching my head over the tune.

I suppose my point was that, so long as you are still playing the tune, over and over, the structure is entirely regular. Structure-wise, it only seems to change when you end the tune.

I totally get where you're coming from in looking at this tune, Dow. I think I'm hearing 'my' feel for the structure *as well as* the structure the way you see it, both at the same time, overlaid, as it were.

Combined with the odd rhythm thing that makes it seem at times to be half a bar out, the whole thing just seems ambiguous to me. And this makes for a great tune.

# Posted on April 16th 2008 by benhall.1

Just curious about the name.
Surely if it's Caher Rua means Red City and Cathal Rua could be translated as Red-haired Charles. Must be a mis-translation but in which direction, I wonder?

# Posted on September 3rd 2008 by Ciotog

one of my favourites.
i learnt it from the kellys version on clarebannermans youtube.

for ages i could not get in sync with this, i was listening to it out of step, and was thrown when the tune switches to the wild irishman.

i get it all now, but it took me many many frustrating attempts.

i cant give any tips except to listen to it about 500 times until it sinks in.

good tune though, its worth it :-)

# Posted on October 6th 2009 by rumpole

John Doherty - Cathair Rua

John Doherty also recorded this tune. It's on his "The Celebrated Recordings" listed as Cathair Rua. In that version he plays an alternate B part the first time round, the second and third times it's similar to that played on the video above.

For those in the UK, here it is on Spotify:

http://open.spotify.com/track/3XWuw6iqyHpwsmjn8bCJN7

Great tune.

# Posted on October 17th 2009 by ciaranbradley