Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Green Fields Of America

reel

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on May 22nd 2002 by Mad Baloney.

This tune has been added to 135 tunebooks.

Also known as Green Fields Of America, Molly Brannigan, Molly Brannugan, Pretty Molly Brannigan.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

20th Feakle Festival: Reeling Through The Years by Various Artists
40th Anniversary 1946 - 1986 by The Tulla Ceili Band
A Few Tunes by John Skelton
A Tribute To John McKenna by Mick Woods
Another Side Of Cape Breton by Johnny Wilmot
Archives #1 by Jean Carignan And Gilles Losier
Celtic Mouth Music by Various Artists
Concertina Music From West Clare by Elizabeth Crotty
Cuisle by Angela Deane
Dark Of The Moon by Grey Larsen And Paddy League
Early Recordings Of Irish Traditional Dance Music by John Kimmel
Far From The Shamrock Shore by Mick Moloney
Foinn Seisiun 2 by Ceoltóirí Cultúrlainne
Forgotten Days by Davy Spillane And Kevin Glackin
Frankie Goes To Town by Frankie Gavin
From Leitrim To London by Brian Rooney
Galway's Own by Joe Burke
Give Us Another by Joe Derrane
Green Fields by Robin Bullock
Hidden Ground by Paddy Glackin, Jolyon Jackson
Ireland's Best Session Tunes CD 1 by Waltons Recording
Irish Dance Music by Various Artists
Leitrim's Hidden Treasure by McNamara Family
Live Recordings From The William Kennedy Piping Festival by Various Artists
Milestone At The Garden by Irish Fiddle Masters From The 78 RPM Era
Pride Of The West by John Wynne And John McEvoy
Roll Away The Reel World by James Keane
Sailing Into Walpole's Marsh by Eddie Clarke, Sean Corcoran, Maeve Donnelly, Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill
Set Dances Of Ireland: Music For Listening And Dancing by Various Artists
Sporting Nell by Tommy McCarthy
The Celtic Harp by The Chieftains
The Chanter's Tune by Na Fili
The Enduring Magic by Michael Coleman
The Irish Music Anthology (40 Classic Songs, Jigs And Reels) by Various Artists
The Last House In Ballymakea by Junior Crehan
The Maid At The Well by Tony O'Rourke
The Pipering Of Willie Clancy. Vol 1 by Willie Clancy
The Quiet Glen by Tommy Peoples
The Sound Of Coleman Country by Various Artists
The Week Before Easter by Kevin Conneff
The Wynd You Know by Ronan Browne
Tracin' by Gearóid Ó HAllmhuráin And Patrick Ourceau
Wish You Were Here by Boys Of The Lough

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Green Fields of America

I first heard this on a Michael Coleman 78 where he paired this with the "Swallowtail Reel". While some sets Coleman recorded have become standards this set is not as common.
To my ear this tune sounds similar to “Over The Moore to Maggie” it’s a good tune & those long notes in the beginning are open to all sorts of ornaments.

# Posted on May 22nd 2002 by Mad Baloney

ABAB?

I don't see any repeats. Is this a single reel (ABAB) instead of the more common AABB?

# Posted on May 23rd 2002 by x

It's usually played AABB but I was lazy with the repeat symbols.

# Posted on May 23rd 2002 by Mad Baloney

Words

I often heard singers Len Graham and the late Joe Holmes sing these words to the first part and then lilt the tune:

There's a hole in me heart you could aisy roll a turnip
As big as any pavin' stone from Dublin to the Divil's Den

The left side of me carcass is as weak as water gruel, man,
There's not a pick upon me bones since Molly proved the cruel wan

# Posted on May 23rd 2002 by LongNote

Glad you've kept the pause/rest at the end of each part. Very effective with a good bodhran player.

# Posted on May 24th 2002 by lukegarry

The Green Fields

I love this tune! I know they're similar, but I like to play this tune with "The Flax in Bloom".

# Posted on May 27th 2002 by willy

there's a jig version of this tune too - "The Maid On The Meadow" or something similar.

# Posted on May 31st 2002 by Kenny

Green Fields of America

Also known as "There's a hole in my heart big enoughto stuff a
turnip in"

# Posted on November 26th 2002 by Chalky

Green Fields of America (jig version)

Recently I learned the jig version of this tune here in Leeds. I forgot where my tutor picked it up. Anyway, here is the simple setting of it.

X: 1
T: The Green Fields of America
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
cec BdB|AGA BGE|DEG AGA|BdB AGE|
cec BdB|AGA BGE|DEG AGA|1 BGF G2z:|2 BGF G2D||
GBd gfg|ede gdB|GBd gdB|AGA BGE|
GBd gfg|ede gdB|GAB AGA|1 BGF G2D:|2 BGF G2z||

You can find a similar version on Davy Spillane and Kevin Glackin's "Forgotten Days."

# Posted on November 17th 2003 by slainte

Green Fields

In the highlands of SW PA and Western MD the tune goes by the name of Green Fields of Virginia(America/Ireland) and is very close to the versions posted here. However I do know a (crooked) version with a nice change of modes in the B part. This tune has been documented in the USA from fiddlers in SW PA born before the turn of the century.

Maryland Highlander

# Posted on January 31st 2004 by Sean MacOda Criobhan

I would take issue with the transcription of the second part of this tune. It seems to me that the part where you go up to the high G only happens the second time round, the first time its a bit lower, so just be careful to compare it to a recording if youre learning from the dots.

There's a nice version of the jig form of this on Patrique Ourceau and Gearoid's duet cd. For the reel its hard to beat the lilted version on 'Celtic Mouth Music' by Colm O'Donnell...

# Posted on July 19th 2005 by Johnnie with the Queer Thing

Jig Setting: http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/942

# Posted on July 19th 2005 by slainte

I grew up listening to a wind up gramaphone playing John McCormack singing Molly Brannigan -it is still on most of his cds

# Posted on February 2nd 2006 by black

The Green Fields of America

It may sound unusual, but I prefer it as a (very) slow reel, played at a speed of about 72 (crotchets). I also know a version in which the dotted crotchet G in bar 3 is GAG (all quavers), and in other bars respectively.

# Posted on December 29th 2006 by Reelin´ man