The Flax In Bloom

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on June 9th 2002 by Musicalbison.

This tune has been added to 138 tunebooks.

Also known as Flax In Bloom, Flaxen Bloom, The Flaxen Bloom, The Flaxen Broom.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• 2 by Pierre Bensusan
• Ace And Deuce by Ace And Deuce
• Aengus by Aengus
• Another Side Of Cape Breton by Johnny Wilmot
• Blowing Through The Reeds by Steve Shaw And Martin Cole
• Champions Of Ireland: Tin Whistle by Ciarán Marsden And Gráinne Kelly
• Classic Recordings Of The Irish Fiddle Legend by Paddy Reynolds
• Contradiction by Fromseier Rose (with Niamh Parsons)
• Doorways And Windowsills by Antoin Mac Gabhann And Mick O'Connor
• Dragon Reels by Roger Landes
• From The Archives by Sean McGuire And Josephine Keegan
• Here And There by Seamus Connolly
• House Sessions by Brenda Stubbert
• Humours Of Highgate by John Blake, Lamond Gillespie And Mick Leahy
• If Ida Been Here, Ida Been There by Craobh Rua
• In Good Hands by Paddy Murphy
• Irish Traditional Music by Kevin Taylor
• Jigs, Reels And Airs by Seamus Tansey
• Let Down The Blade by John Regan And Paddy Glackin
• Live At Mona's by Various Artists
• Maeve Donnelly by Maeve Donnelly
• Milltown Lass by Rose Murphy
• Mo Chairdin by Paul Brock
• Past Masters Of Irish Dance Music by Various Artists
• Past Masters Of Irish Fiddle Music by Various Artists
• Pure Piping by Leo Rickard
• Reelin'in Tradition by The Mulcahy Family
• Return To Droim by Colm Gannon
• Round The House: Music For The Sets Volume 1 by Various Artists
• Saturday Night Fiddler by Ryan Thomson
• Songs, Jigs, Reels by Glenside And Kilfenora Ceili Bands
• Sunday After Mass by Denis O Connor And Con Moynihan
• The Best Of Irish Jigs And Reels Vol.1 by Various Artists
• The Best Of Irish Piping by Seamus Ennis
• The Blue CD by Irish Session Tunes
• The Celts Rise Again by Various Artists
• The Dangerous Reel by Mike And Mary Rafferty
• The Flags Of Dublin by Paddy Glackin, Mick O'Brien And Mick Gavin
• The Flax In Bloom by Brendan Mulvihill
• The Floating Bowhand by Jim McKillop
• The Heart Of Cape Breton by Various Artists
• The Iron Behind The Velvet by Christy Moore
• The Leitrim Thrush by Neil Mulligan
• The Living Wood by Maire Ni Chathasaigh And Chris Newman
• The Natural Bridge by Ben Lennon And Friends
• The Phantom Shadows Of A Connaught Fire (1 Of 3) by Seamus Tansey
• The Professor by James Morrison
• The Return From Fingal by Seamus Ennis
• The Tempest by Robbie Hannan
• Timeline by Wendy MacIsaac
• Touch Me If You Dare by Ronan Browne And Peter O'Loughlin
• Traditional Irish Fiddle Music by The Kilfenora Fiddle Ceili Band
• Traditional Irish Music by William Sullivan
• Uilleann Piper by Tommy Martin
• Up And Coming - Ó Ghlúin Go Glúin by Oisín And Conal Hernon
• Up Close by Kevin Burke
• Witt's End by Hell On The Nine Mile

X: 1
T: Flax In Bloom, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
D2 (3FED FAAf|(3gfe (3fed edBd|(3ABA FA dfaf|gafd edBd|
D2 (3FED FAAf|(3gfe (3fed edBd|ABAF ABde|faeg fd d2||
(3fgf df (3efe ce|dcdB AGFG|DFAd FAdf|(3gfe (3fed edBd|
(3fgf df (3efe ce|dcdB AGFG|DFAc defg|afeg fd d2||

From O'Neill's "Dance Music of Ireland"...I was flipping through the book and playing random tunes. I came across this one and decided to learn it.

Brent

# Posted on June 9th 2002 by Musicalbison

Maeve Donnelly plays a 3rd part to this reel on that great album she did a couple of years ago. She of course plays it in A, with the the fiddle tuned to AEae ( a tip of the hat to the great West Clare fiddler Patrick Kelly).
I've transcribed the 3rd part she plays into D......

faaf dfaf| gabg ecAb| affd ABAF| A2ge fdd2|
faaf dfaf| gabg ecAB| AGFG A2df| afeg fdd2|

The last couple of bars are actually modified a bit, as she goes to a high "a" on the "e"string, which would mean a high "d" when transposed up to the key of D.
I don't play high "d"'s myself, I'll leave that to them classical fellas. But if you're so inclined it would be --A2d'b--- instead of the A2df.

Lovely 3rd part though, goes great with the first two. Does anyone know of any other recordings of this with three parts?

# Posted on December 27th 2005 by Killone

3rd part

Here's how I hear the 3rd part (transposed into D):

efaf dfaf|gabg ecAb|affa dedB|A2ge fd~d2|
faaf dfaf|gabg efdB|AFFG A2d'b|afea fd~d2:|

# Posted on December 5th 2006 by Dow

Always played as a double?

I wonder how often this tune is played as a single reel just as transcribed in O'Neill. It's recorded as a double on at least three recordings I own.

Anyway, here's a neat version of the tune based on the playing of Ballymote concertina player Mairead Hurley.

K: Dmaj
|:D2ED FAAf|gefd edBd|BAFB ABdf|(3gfe fd edBd|
D2ED FAAf|gefd edBd|BAFB ABdf|1 afeg fdAF:|2 afeg fede||
|:f2df e2ce|dfed BAFA|DFAd FAdf|(3gfe fd edBd|
f2df e2ce|dfed BAFA|DFAd FAdf|1 afeg fede:|2 afeg fdAF||

You can actually listen to her play it with some variation:
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thebloomofyouth/rams/2007/4august.smil (the set starting around 53:00)
From The Bloom of Youth 2007: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thebloomofyouth

# Posted on October 23rd 2007 by slainte

Another 3rd part

I played another 3rd part in the setting on my CD "Dragon Reels". I got it from a house concert tape of Kevin Burke, Dale Russ, and Tom Creagan.

~f2af dfaf|~g2fg e~B3|f~d3 Adfd|ceae c/d/e ae|
~f2af dfaf|~g2fg e~B3|A~F3 ABdf|afeg f~d3:||

Roger Landes

# Posted on November 20th 2007 by zoukboy_2000