Hello! Ask me (almost) anything about traditional music.
Annotation:Whelan's Jig
Back to Whelan's Jig
WHELAN’S JIG (Port Uí Fhaoláin). AKA and see "Humors of Dingle (2) (The),” “Rookery (2) (The),.” AKA – “Whelan's Fancy.” Irish, Double Jig. E Minor (Breathnach, Miller & Perron): E Dorian (Carlin, Mallinson, Sullivan, Taylor). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Breathnach identifies the 'Whelan' of the title as Tommy Whelan, an east Galway flute player with the old Ballinakill Ceili Band, and a regionally influential musician. An excellent recording of the melody was made by Galway fiddler Aggie Whyte and flute player Peadar O’Lochlainn. The tune resembles and is sometimes confused with "Morrison's Jig (1).”
Sources for notated versions: P.J. Moloney [Sullivan]; a recording by Seán Ryan and P.J. Moloney [Miller & Perron]; piper Matthew Tiernan [Breathnach]; set dance music recorded live at Na Píobairí Uilleann, mid-1980’s [Taylor].
Printed sources: Breathnach (CRÉ I), 1963; No. 49, p. 20. Carlin (Master Collection), 1987; No. 260, p. 149. Mallinson (100 Enduring), 1995; No. 56, p. 25. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 1977; vol. 2, No. 38. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 2nd Edition, 2006; p. 42. Ó hAlmhain & MacMathúna (Tutor for the Feadóg Stáin), 1971; p. 22. Sullivan (Session Tunes, vol. 3); No. 8, p. 4. Taylor (Through the Half-door), 1992; No. 56, p. 40. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Yellow Book), 1995; p. 27.
Recorded sources: Avoca 33 AV 121, Seán Ryan & P.J. Moloney - "Traditional Music of Ireland, VI" (1960). Shaskeen - "Atlantic Breeze". Claddagh CC11, Leo Rowsome – “The Drones and Chanters.” Great Meadow Music GMM 2018, Frank Ferrel & Joe Derrane – “Fiddledance” (2004. Learned from concertina player Tim Collins, of the Kilfenora Ceili Band).
See also listings at:
Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng’s Irishtune.info [2]
Hear Aggie Whyte, Ned Coleman and Fr. Lyons' 1957 recording of the jig at the Comhaltas Archive [3]
Hear the Liverpool Céilí Band's recording at the Comhaltas Archive [4]
Hear William Reynolds and Johnny Healion play the tune at the Comhaltas Archive [5]
