The Session >> Tunes >> The Lilting Banshee (jig)

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Lilting Banshee

jig

Key signature: Adorian

Submitted on May 25th 2001 by Jeremy.

This tune has been added to 968 tunebooks.

Also known as Ballinasloe Fair, The Banshee's Lament, Bobby Casey's, The Butcher's March, Fallon's, The Glanmire Miller, John Conroy's, Killaloe Boat, The Killaloe Boat, Lilting Banshee, The Miller Of Glanmire, The Moyasta, Paddy In London, Rita Keane's, Ryan's, Ryan's Favourite, The Sligo , The Wail Of The Banshee, The Wailing Banshee.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

X: 1
T: Lilting Banshee, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Ador
|:EAA EAA|BAB G2A|Bee edB|def gfg|
eAA eAA|BAB G2A|Bee edB|dBA A3:|
eaa age|dBA G2A|Bee edB|def gfg|
eaa age|dBA G2A|Bee edB|dBA A3:|

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments
The Lilting Banshee sheetmusic
Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

This is one of those nifty A minor jigs in the tradition of "The Rakes Of Kildare" and "Dusty Windowsills".

Halfway through the first part, the EAA EAA phrase from the start is repeated but this time, with a high E note. Well, you can create a feeling of suspense by playing it as a low E 'till the second time 'round.

Apart from that I don't know what to say except choose some As and let the triplets fly.

# Posted on June 2nd 2001 by Jeremy

Lilting banshee

This tune was taught by Mary Bergin at a workshop in Nethy Bridge in Scotland in November 2002. She called it "The Miller Of Glanmire", and it appears on "O'Neill's 1001" under this name. The more common name nowadays is , I believe, "The Lilting Banshee". I first came across it on the "Music From The Coleman Country" LP in 1972(?) where it appears in a set with "The Butcher's March" which is a completely different tune. I think it possible that someone , somewhere along the line has got the names of the 2 tunes mixed up.

# Posted on January 22nd 2003 by Kenny

Lilting butcher

It's very possible. It's known as "Butchers March" in the circles where i play, but seems to be "Lilting Banshee" everywhere else. This will be in the much-awaited Murphy Roche second CD, which should come out any time now, but probably close to the end of February.

A variation: the second half of the A part goes down, instead of up:

X:2
T:Lilting Banshee, The
T:Butchers March
R:jig
S:Murphy Roche session at the Kerry Piper, 2002
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Ador
|: EAA EAA | BAB G2A | Bee edB | dBA GED |
EAA EAA | BAB G2A | Bee edB | dBA A3 :|
eaa age | dBA G2A | Bee edB | def gfg |
eaa age | dBA G2A | Bee edB | dBA A3 :|

# Posted on January 23rd 2003 by glauber

This is a popular tune with old Mayo and Sligo guys here in Chicago. At least one of them calls it "The Wailing Banshee".

# Posted on July 24th 2003 by Hanley

The Lilting (or wailing) Banshee

I know this tune as the Moyasta Jig, Moyasta being an area near Kilrush in Co. Clare

# Posted on July 24th 2003 by murfbox

Ballinasloe Fair

The Chieftains have recorded this tune under the title 'Ballinasloe Fair' followed by the jig Cailleach an Airgid

# Posted on June 27th 2004 by Eachann mac Bodach

Ballinasloe Fair

I sometimes play the first part like this:

K: Ador
G|EAA EAA|BAB G2A|Bee B^cd|BAB GED|
EAA EAA|BAB G2A|Bee edB|dBA A2:|

I think I picked it up from Chieftans' album, but virtually nobody plays like that. The version Glauber posted above is more common.

# Posted on June 27th 2004 by slainte

I much prefer the version posted above by slainte. That's how I've always played it. It makes for a more interesting tune - a low A-section contrasting with a higher B-section.

# Posted on July 15th 2004 by jakki S

Bobby Casey's Jig

John Williams, on his Irish Concertina instructional video, gives this tune as "Bobby Casey's Jig" with only slight variations from the musical notation posted here for "Lilting Banshee."

# Posted on November 14th 2004 by jimhale

i play the beginning, "|EAA EAA|BAB G2A|BEE EDB|DBA GED|

my grandma taught me it and i like it much more. its very similar to the other one slainte posted.

# Posted on November 21st 2004 by daiv

Paddy in london

hey
this was the second tunes i eva learnt...back in the day
anyway i was taught it as paddy in london

# Posted on March 9th 2006 by lacylu11

The Whistling Banshee

PJ Hernon plays ang gives detailed instructions about this tune on his B/C accordion video. He uses the name "The Whistling Banshee".

# Posted on May 18th 2006 by nemethmik

And it was on Michael Tubridy's beautiful "Eagle's Whistle" album that I found it under the name, "The Killaloe Boat".

# Posted on November 16th 2006 by 52Paddy

Lilting Banshee in Bm

Here's an interesting version of this old tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NppqWBsGRcw

Many musicians in Britain and Ireland would heard of Des Hurley from Leeds. As far as I know, he has only appeared on Brendan Power's harmonica album so far, but he is still among the top Irish fiddlers from England. Dermot is his nephew.

I've heard Des play this tune in sessions a few times, but it was always in Ador. Not sure where the Bm version comes from.

# Posted on June 6th 2007 by slainte

I play this in a set with Road to Lisdoonvarna and Swallowtail.

# Posted on June 15th 2007 by chrisgagnemusician

Ryan's Favorite?

This tune is called Ryan's Favorite by Claire McKenna in this Mel Bay publication:

http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=98770CDW

# Posted on October 6th 2007 by SWFL Fiddler

Date

Does anyone know roughly how old the tune is? Would it have been around at the time of the first world war? Hope someone can help. Thanks.

# Posted on March 10th 2009 by Ha'penny Pol

How old.....?

See comments above. O'Neill's pre-dates the 1st World War.

# Posted on March 10th 2009 by Kenny

I think that O'Neill's "1001" was first published around 1900, so the tune would be definitely older than that.

# Posted on March 11th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian

Thanks a mil.

# Posted on March 11th 2009 by Ha'penny Pol

The Lilting Banshee (an even older version)

Here is an even older version from the first half of the 19th century. It is tune 110 (unnamed) in the Petrie Collection of Irish Music. I've inserted the repeats in accordance with modern usage.
K:Adorian
e>AA e>AA | B>GG B>GG | e>AA e>AA |def gdB |
e>AA e>AA | B>GG B>GG | def gdB | BAA A3 :|
e>aa e>aa | e>gg e>gg | e>aa e>aa | def gdB |
e>aa e>aa | e>gg e>gg | def gdB | BAA A3 :||

# Posted on August 19th 2009 by Trevor Jennings

That's a different tune, Trevor. See comments of Tenpenny Bit.

# Posted on August 20th 2009 by Dr. Dow

We play Gaubers version on whistle and paddy-tuned G harmonica. the first version is possible on normal G as well but you need the paddy to get the E note in the EAA EAA bar. Th normal can only do eAA eAA. Our whistle player is from Mayo (ties in with Hanley's comment)and calls it the Whistling Bansee.

# Posted on March 6th 2010 by harmonic miner

There really isn't much of a difference between Jeremy's and Glauber's. The only difference is the dBA GED on the fourth and fifthbar. I like to play that first, then the second time around with the eAA eAA instead of EAA EAA.

# Posted on April 9th 2010 by pipersgrip

The Lilting Banshee

Mike Rafferty and family http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8Nw4Mr8bzA

# Posted on November 22nd 2010 by bogman

AKA Ryan's

This tune is played as Ryan's in the NYC area e.g. it is on the Dempsey's session tunelist, as JIG SET: Ryan's (Am) / Out on the Ocean (G) / Morrison's (Em). It's a fairly common session tune. When I was going through the tunelist I asked "Is "Ryan's" the same as Sean Ryan's jig?" and was told, "No,[it] is just Ryan's, but is also know as The Lilting Banshee. There two that are known Sean Ryan's jig, and they also have other names (The Castle and The Nightingale)."

# Posted on March 29th 2011 by daveb

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