Key signature: Dmajor
Submitted on April 17th 2002 by Mad Baloney.
This tune has been added to 41 tunebooks.
Also known as Burke's, Charlie Mulvihill's, Connie O'Connell's, Jack Coen's, Lad O' Beirne's, Lad O'Beirne's, Lad O'Beirnes, Pete Kelly's, The Shannonaire's, The Shannonaires'.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Silver Vale, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
|:Bc | dAF AGF | dAF AGF | A,CE GFE | A,CE GFE |
DFA DGB | Adc d2 e | fed cBA | GFE D :||
|:a2 | fdf aba | fdc def | eBB gaf | efd cde |
fef gfg | a^ga ba=g | fed cBA |1 GFE D :|2 GFE D3 ||
Silver Vale
I don't know too much about this tune - I learned it very early on in my playing from the "Sully Banjo Tudor". This was the first tune I ever started at a session. I knew it must have been obscure as I never heard anyone play it, (that's not why I picked it, I picked it because it was the only tune I could pull off at the time) but everyone jumped in & it made me feel like a million bucks. If anyone knows anything about this tune it would be appreciated. I know that the Banjo Tutor I had was off on the names alot so this could be misnamed.
PS this is a great beginer Banjo/Mandolin/Bouzouki/fiddle etc tune.
God Bless,
Brad
# Posted on April 17th 2002 by Mad Baloney
oops, tutor not tudor - right?
# Posted on April 17th 2002 by Mad Baloney
I just entered a "contour" on JC's tunefinder & the tune came up as "Charlie Mullvihill's" & "Burke's" The notes from Alan Ng's (Cool name, huh?) said...
Notes: Cf. Bulmer & Sharpley, "Burke's". transcribed by Alan Ng
Brendan found the manuscript in a certain Charlie Mulvihill's attic (as part of Charlie's estate, not related as I recall).
I don't know who Charlie Mulvihill was, but I'm assuming he's related to the famous Mullvihill's of Philladelphia (Brendan, his father Martin etc) & I don't know if the Burke reference refers to Kevin (fiddle) or Joe (acc.)
I also looked up Nigel Gatherer's Listing of Bulmer & Sharpley's tunes & he has
"Burke's B2,42 From Joe Burke. ABC notation: 1, 2, 3.
PdG: Aka Connie O'Connell's from Matt Cranitch's 'Irish Fiddle Book'.
PdG: While going through the photocopied copy of the Martin Mulvihill collection which a kind friend sent me, I noticed a hand-written comment next to Burke's Jig (jig no. 79): "a Donegal tune from Lad O'Beirne's crowd". I'm not sure if this comment appears in the original. The tune is otherwise associated with Joe Burke.
Paul McEvoy: My teacher, Pete Kelly, claims to have composed what is known around here as Burke's Jig. I believe he calls it The Shannonairs Jig, after a childrens group that organized in NYC in the 60's and took on tour.
Lesl Harker: Aka Matt Molloy's Jig, Coughlan's, Charlie Mulvihill's. Recordings: Molloy/Keane/McGlynn, Contentment Is Wealth"
I'm very familier with the Molloy/Keane/McGlynn album I know it's not on there. So all this info could be hogwash.
As I said before - If you know anything about this tune let me know
Brad
# Posted on April 17th 2002 by Mad Baloney
Brad, I don't play this tune (yet), but I have seen it by the same names you give here, including the Silver Vale. I don't know why, but it has a distinctive quality peculiar to Mulvihill tunes--similar to jigs attributed to Martin.
My copy of "The Companion to Irish Traditional Music" by Fintan Vallely says that Charlie was an accordion player born in New York in 1917 (d. 1975). His mother was from Shanagolden, Co. Limerick, whereas Martin was born in Ballygouhglin, Co. Limerick, so there may be some relation. (Or maybe not: Mike Rafferty says there were 7 families of Rafferty's in the small town of Larraga, Ballinakill, many of them not related to each other.)
Nice jig, anyway.
# Posted on April 17th 2002 by Will CPT
My first tune
This was the first tune I ever learned - I know it as Charlie Mulvihill's - and I was lucky enough to learn it from Brendan Mulvihill himself - he plays f-natural at the end of the 2nd measure in the B section and it's a bit different than the version here. If I can figure how to post the ABC of it I will.
To answer the question above about the Mulvihill's - Brendan said Charlie was an uncle.
# Posted on February 27th 2004 by ving
The Silver Vale
The comment above, that info on my site is hogwash,
is probably correct - only in that the tune on
"Contentment Is Welath" LP is not the one in question. I'll amend that info soon.
Nigel Gatherer
# Posted on May 7th 2004 by nigelg
Matt Molloy's Jig (the Shannonaire's Jig)
Just came across this message somewhat belatedly. I learned this only as Matt Molloy's jig, and no its not on the Contentment cd, but I like Nigel's site just fine. Anyway, later on I found it is named the Shannonaire's jig. "Fiddler Pete Kelly, County Galway, has laid claim to composing the tune, which he called "The Shannonaires Jig," named for the Shannonaires Ceili Band, a children's group organized in NYC in the 1960's for a tour. Kelly lately plays with the Premier Ceili Band, with button accordion player Martin Mulhaire." Now if only I'd noted where I found that information. Fiddler's companion maybe.
Lesl
# Posted on June 4th 2004 by LH
There's really a great version of this tune on the Flute Geezer's CD that's floating around the internet (http://www.lafferty.ca/music/irish/flute-geezers/ - check it out. good stuff). I've heard it called Jack Coen's, although I feel that that is a mistake, as there's a very distinctly different Jack Coen's tune floating around too.
# Posted on August 23rd 2004 by Johnnie with the Queer Thing
Here's the version I play - I think it's a nice one:
X: 1
T: The Shannonaires'
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
|:A|~d3 AGF|dAA AGF|~E3 GFE|A,CE GFE|
DFA GAB|Ace d2e|fed cBA|Gfe d2:|
|:e|fdf ~a3|f/g/af def|eBe ~g3|e/f/ge Ace|
fdf gBg|aAa bag|fed cBA|Gfe d2:|
# Posted on April 25th 2005 by Dow
Burke's Jig
I heard that this jig was just played by Joe Burke but was likely composed by Lad O'Beirne and that it was very popular in New York in the 60s. Does anyone know for sure?
# Posted on September 7th 2005 by feadog
Brian Conway taught me this jig a year or so ago, and he called it Joe Burkes. Unfortunately, I didn't ask him if he knew anything about its source.
# Posted on September 7th 2005 by Will CPT
Fleagh Tune
i LOVE this tune...
ever since i played piano accomp. for it @ the
Mid-Atlantic Fleagh...
got me first!!
i didnt go to ireland though.. :(
# Posted on September 18th 2005 by CELTICCHEF83
Find another transcription here http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/2592.
# Posted on March 28th 2007 by Dow
Pete Kelly
I spoke to Pete Kelly a few months ago. He confirmed that he composed it "many years ago" for use as an exercise for his fiddle students.
# Posted on March 28th 2007 by Rdunlavey
"The Shannonaires’ Jig" C: Pete Kelly ~ another take on it
X: 3
T: The Shannonaires'
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
|: A |\
dFF AGF | dFF AGF | A,CE GFE | A,CE GFE |
DFA GBd | Adc d2 e | fed cBA | GFE D2 :|
|: g |\
f^ef a^ga | fdc def | e^de gfg | e2 d cde |
fef gfg | a^ga ba=g | fed cBA | GFE D2 :|
# Posted on March 20th 2008 by ceolachan
Pete's memory may be hazy
This is an old Donegal jig. It was recorded without a title by an Donegal fiddler (Vincent Campbell , I think) on the early 1960s LP box set "Our Musical Heritage" produced by Sean O Riada, who also presented a 14-part radio program of that title for Radio Eireann. Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh has a great setting of it with an F natural in the turn, which she acquired from a Donegal source.
The older fiddlers in New York, including Pete Kelly, all played this tune, and passed it on to Joe Burke, for whom it is often named. Paddy Reynolds told me that got it from Ed Reavy, and he thought Ed had composed it. Paddy was mistaken on that, and Reavy probably picked it up from Donegal musicians in Philadelphia. Pete Kelly may have created his own setting, but I am quite confident that he did not compose this tune, which long predates the existence of the "Shannonaires."
# Posted on May 5th 2008 by blarneystar
Pete Kelly never wrote an "original" tune in his life...ALL of his "original" tunes are but memories of older tunes, written by much more accomplished musicians....see the notes above by "blarneystar"
# Posted on August 25th 2008 by Ceolagusrince