The Flower Of The Flock

reel

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on March 12th 2002 by Will Harmon.

This tune has been added to 122 tunebooks.

Also known as Famous Ballymote.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• 1975 The First by The Bothy Band
• 4 by Bohola
• 40th Anniversary Album by Armagh Pipers Club
• A Few More Tunes by John Skelton
• Atlantic Breeze by Shaskeen
• Celtic Reign by Celtic Reign
• Doorways And Windowsills by Antoin Mac Gabhann And Mick O'Connor
• Down The Line by Ciaran Tourish
• Drivin' Leitrim Timber by Dave Sheridan
• Ireland's Harvest : A Tribute To The Golden Years Of Music In Irish America by Joe Derrane, Frankie Gavin And Brian McGrath
• Irish Accordion by Joe Derrane
• Keepers Of Tradition: Concertina Players Of County Clare by Various Artists
• Live In Concert by The Bothy Band
• North-by-NorthWest by Eliot Grasso And Dave Cory
• Plays Traditional And Other Irish Tunes by Tom Fleming
• Sunday After Mass by Denis O Connor And Con Moynihan
• The Ballydesmond Polka by Dan Herlihy And John Drew
• Toss The Feathers by Mountain Dew
• Unearthed by Paul McGlinchey
• Wooden Flute Obsession: Volume 3, Disc 1 by Various Artists
• Wooden Flute Obsession: Volume 3, Disc 2 by Various Artists
• Wound Up by Deirin De

X: 1
T: Flower Of The Flock, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|:DEGA BG (3GGG|cABG AGEG|DEGA B2 ge|1 dBAc BGGE:|2 dBAc BGGe||
|~g3 e dcBd|cABG AGEG|~g3 e d2 eg|a2 ab agef|
|~g3 e dcBd|cABG AGEG|DEGA Bdge|dBAc BGGE|

Flower of the Flock

I wish I could remember where I learned this tune. Might've been off a tape of Frankie Gavin. I've heard an Eileen Ivers' version and it went fast and driving: |DEGA B3 B|cABG A ~E3| etc. The way I first heard it, this was a swingy, not-too-fast Clare sort of tune, with lots of time for variations and rolls sprinkled around. That opening phrase can go a zillion ways:

|DEGA B (3BBB|cABG AGEG|
|DEGA BGGB|c2 Bc AGEG|
|DEGA BDGB|(3cdc BG A~E3
|DEGA BGBd|(3cBA BG ABGE|
you get the idea. The rest of the tune is almost as mutable. The first bars of the B Part could go:

|gdeg (3ded Bd| then add any second bar from above |
|g2 (3efg dcBd| ditto |
and so on.

This is a fairly common session tune, and it's an easy G major tune to fall into from all those D reels out there, starting on that open D.

# Posted on March 12th 2002 by Will Harmon

Martin Mulvihill

Martin Mulvihill did it on his Humors of Glin tape, which is no longer available.

# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Strummer007

I'd be surprised if most people here didn't learn this from the 1st "Bothy Band" album. I know I did.

# Posted on June 26th 2006 by Kenny

Bothy Band

X: 1
T: Flower Of The Flock, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|:DEGA BG GG|cABG AGEG|DEGE B2 Be|1 dBAF ~G3E:|2 dBAF ~G3e||
|~g3 e dGBG|~A3G AGfe|~g3 e d2 (3Bcd|eaag agef|
|~g3 e dGBG|AcBG AGEG|DEGE B2 Be|dBAF ~G3E||

# Posted on January 19th 2011 by Manu Novo

Var

X: 1
T: Flower Of The Flock, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|:DEGA B~G3|cGBG AGEG|DEGD ~G3e|1 dBAD ~G3E:|2 dBAD ~G3e||
|~g3 e dGBG|~A3G AGef|~g3 e d2 (3Bcd|eaag agef|
|~g3 e dGBG|AcBG AGEA|DEGD B2 Be|dBAD ~G3E||

# Posted on January 21st 2011 by Manu Novo

Origins of the Flower of the Flock.

Matt Molloy got this tune from my father, Peadar Noone, in the summer of 1962. My Dad loved to play it at the fleadhanna (he called it a Leitrim tune) because nobody else seemed to know it at the time. To be honest, I did not much like it myself but I remember that Matt was very interested and said that he thought it was a good one. The first part was to be played once only and the 'high part twice'. I noted the tune in my manuscript at the time, Reel no. 11. Dad preferred to call it by its Gaelic name, 'Plur na dTread' Beir beannacht. Miceal Noone.

# Posted on July 19th 2011 by frmiceal