Ballinasloe Fair

reel

Key signature: Adorian

Submitted on January 16th 2002 by Brad Maloney.

This tune has been added to 74 tunebooks.

Also known as The Fair At Ballinasloe, The Fair Of Ballinasloe.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• Ballinasloe Fair: Early Irish Music In America by Various Artists
• Boil The Breakfast Early by The Chieftains
• Celtic Fiddle by Jeremy Kittel
• Culann's Hounds by Culann's Hounds
• Drops Of Spring Water by Comhaltas Concert Tour 2004
• Festival Of Traditional Irish Music by Various Artists
• Folktrax 154 - The Sligo Fiddler: Michael Coleman by Michael Coleman
• From The Archives by Sean McGuire And Josephine Keegan
• Galway's Own by Joe Burke
• Handprints by Donna Long
• Irish Traditional Accordion Session With Four Champions by Joe Burke, Kevin Loughlin, Finbarr Dwyer And John Whelan
• Like A Wild Thing by Céide
• My Love Is In America by Various Artists
• Paddy In The Smoke by Various Artists
• Pigtown Fling by Randal Bays And Joel Bernstein
• Seoltai Seidte (Setting Sail) by Various Artists
• The Best Of The Chieftains by The Chieftains
• The Donegal Fiddler by Danny O'Donnell
• The Night Rambler's Companion by Harry Bradley
• The Wheels Of The World, Early Irish American Music, Vol. 1 by Various Artists
• Traditional Fiddle Music From County Clare by Vincent Griffin
• Traditional Irish Music From Galway And Clare by Bobby Casey, Gabriel McKeon, Raymond Roland, Liam Farrell & John Roe
• Traditional Irish Music On Flute And Guitar by Jack And Jimmy Coen

X: 1
T: Ballinasloe Fair
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
A2{B}AB cBcA | GFGA GECE | A2{B}AB cBca | gedB cAA2 |
A2{B}AB cBcA | GFGA GECE | A2{B}AB cBca | gedB cdef ||
gc (3ccc gcac | gc (3ccc Bcde | gc (3ccc ac (3ccc | agab gede |
gc (3ccc gcac | gc (3ccc B2 (3dcB | AGAB cBca | gedB cAA2 ||
"Variation" g~g2f gbaf | gcBc dcde | gc (3ccc ac (3ccc | agab gede |
gc (3ccc gcac | gc (3ccc B2 (3dcB | AGAB cBca | gedB cAA2 ||

This is the second tune for the Lord McDonald's set, those quater note "A's" leave a lot of room for double stops both with the E in the root & the "unison" double stop. The A's also are OK if tripleted. I play it three parts with the variation as the third part but I've heard it played as two parts varying between the two high parts.
I like to follow it with "The House on the Hill" but that's just me...

# Posted on January 16th 2002 by Brad Maloney

This is a great tune. Although there is a third part to the versions I've heard. I havn't fully learnt the tune yet so I can't post it. It's one of Joe Burke's favourite and on the album with him and Sean McGuire, they play this after Paddy Ryan's Dream which makes a nice change of mood.

It also goes nicely after Lad O'Byrne's Favourite.

# Posted on September 30th 2006 by 52Paddy