Key signature: Gmajor
Submitted on June 21st 2002 by MichaelBolton.
This tune has been added to 532 tunebooks.
Also known as An Chéad Phunnann, An Chead Phunnann, Clare, The Clare , The Clare, The First Sheaf, Irish, Jimmy Ward J.G., Jimmy Ward's, Jimmy Ward's Favourite, Jimmy Wards J.G., Port Shéamus Mhic A Bháird, Seamus's, Tom Ward's, Ward's, Ward's Favourite, Wards Favourite.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Jim Ward's
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
|: G3 GAB | AGE GED | GGG AGE |
GED DEF | G3 GAB | AGE GAB |
cBA BGE |1 DED DEF:|2 DED D2B||
|:cBA BAG | ABA AGB | cBA BGE |
DED GAB |cBA BAG | ABA ABc |
dcB AGE |1 GED D2B :|2 GED DEF || G6|
Jim Ward's, a.k.a. Ward's Favourite
I've never met Jim (that's a joke), but Ward's Favourite is one of my favourites too. I first heard it at the Dora Keogh Sessions in Toronto, and it bit me immediately. There's a lovely version of it on Danu's All Things Considered. It's not terribly tricky to play but a strong melody and thus very gratifying. My first submission to The Session!
---Michael Bolton (no, not that one)
# Posted on June 21st 2002 by MichaelBolton
Ward's
Fine tune Mr Bolton, a local publican in Rhode Island is a direct decendant of the famous musical Ward family. His pub is "Ward's Pub" (makes sense), it's either in East Greenwich or the Apponaug Section of Warwick (depending who you ask). If you get him started your in for a Lietrim Music history lesson. His name is Tom Ward ("Tom Ward's Downfall" was another Tom Ward who was in his immediate family line). His pub has a good session on Sunday nights & is led by Skip Healy one week & Tom Maguire the next. I've had some great craic there, many lurkers on this site attend regularly.
# Posted on June 21st 2002 by Brad Maloney
I believe this tune was composed by Jim Ward himself. Fair play to him to be able to compose his own favourite tune. He was a tenor banjo player, so it is one of the few tunes established in the tradition which is a true 'banjo tune'.
# Posted on June 21st 2002 by OrganicPeatCreature
Jim Ward's Jig
This jig is a great favourite in County Clare and Jim Ward was a member of the original Kilfenora Ceili Band (ie 1950s as there were also bands from Kilfenora dating back to 1905!). I believe Jim also played flute as well as the banjo.
# Posted on June 23rd 2002 by Bannerman
Jim Wards?
Interesting--everyone around here (San Francisco) calls this "Tom Ward's". Go to know it was written by Jim Ward though--thanks for the info.
# Posted on April 29th 2003 by pchaffee
Jim Ward's
I learnt this tune recently in a local workshop under the name "The Clare Jig". The version I was taught is very similar to that already posted, but with a few minor differences as follows,
G3 G2B|AGE GED|GFG AGE|GED D2E|
G3 G2B|AGE GAB|cBA BGE|1 DED DEF:|2 DED D3|
|:c2A BAG|ABA AGE|c2A BGE|DED DAB|
c2A BAG|ABA ABc|dcA AGE|1 DED D3:|2 DED DEF||
The long notes (G3, G2 etc) and repeated notes (A-A) give plenty of scope for ornamentation. This lovely lilting tune is a little out of the ordinary in that it lies entirely within the compass of one octave. Many other tunes with a first half in the lower register would have gone into a second octave for the second half.
Trevor
# Posted on November 27th 2003 by lazyhound
Jim Ward's Jig
At our sessions we normally follow this with the Blarney Pilgrim and then the Cook in the Kitchen.
# Posted on November 28th 2003 by Bannerman
see Paddy Keenan's Long Grazing Acre album where he plays the blarney pilgrim and the clare jig (jim/tom ward's). Took a while to find the dots- gonna see how well I learned it by ear
# Posted on July 31st 2004 by I_Fel
No wonder
it's his own favourite, it's a class above the rest, and one of my favourites too _a similar 'reel' example that springs to mind is Martin Whynn who, when asked his favourite tune of all time, replied with his own ''No. 2'' ( _which is of the same class and another great favourite of mine)
back now to this one, and we use this cracking G jig to end a set (_it's a strong finisher), starting with the Yellow Wattle (D modal) into Garrett Barry's (D), a familiar old favourite
thanks Jimmy Ward
# Posted on November 15th 2005 by lisaniska
Key of D
Lunasa does this tune in D and it sounds really cool in that key.
# Posted on January 7th 2006 by Why Bother?
Capercaillie Version
Capercaillie recorded this in D after Balindore on Sidewaulk calling it "Irish Jig". I added the tune not spotting it already being in here (despite having learned Jimmy Ward's before and having a moment of stupidity and forgetfullness - oops).
Anyway here is the transcription I added as I suspect my submission will now be deleted.
X: 1
T: Jim Ward's/Irish Jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
|: d3 def | edB dBA | d3 edB | dBA A3 |
d3 def | edB def | g2 e fdB | AAA A3 :|
|: g2 e fed | efe edB | g2 e fdB | BAB def |
g2 e fed | efe efg | age edB | dBA A3 :|
# Posted on September 3rd 2007 by No Cause For Alarm
Irish
I have also now added the name "Irish" to the alternative names here so it links to Sidewaulk in the recordings section.
# Posted on September 3rd 2007 by No Cause For Alarm
The Ward Family
Hello, my name is Mary Ward from County Clare in Ireland. My son happened to find this board on the internet by chance. I am Tom Ward's (of the original Kilfenora Ceili Band) daughter, Jim Ward was my uncle. I'm just wondering if there are other Wards in America there that might be decended from our family that we might not have known about! I saw the piece about Ward's Pub above and have sent a note to the owner to see if he is in fact a newly found relative!
# Posted on November 17th 2007 by mary ward
Jim Ward
Heard Paddy O'Brien in concert the other night, who played this jig. He told a story that Jim Ward was a brilliant flute player, but lost his teeth so had to switch to the banjo. The concert then kinda fell into one story after another of Irish players who had to give up flute due to losing their teeth - one story of a fella who made his own set of wooden teeth he put in at sessions just to play flute!
He then added, with a great smile on his face, that the Irish are damned proud of their "dental diversity"! Cracked me up.
# Posted on February 26th 2008 by daddae
Jim Wards in D
Glad to know Capercaillie set the precedent for playing this tune in D. I dinna feel so bad now. Here is the setting I suggested for our local sesh:
X: 1
T: Jim Ward's
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K:Daj
|: ~d3 def | edB dBA | ddd edB
|dBA ABc | ~d3 def | edB def |
|gfe fdB |1 ABA ABc:|2 ABA A2f||
|:g2e f2d | ~e3 edB | gfe fdB |
|Ace Aef |g2e f2d | ~e3 efg |
|agf edB |1 dBA A2f :|2 dBA ABc ||
# Posted on July 21st 2009 by bhambagpiper