SWINGING ON A GATE. Irish, American; Reel. USA, New England. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. An Irish reel that has become very popular at New England contra dances, especially when backed with a swing chord progression. See related hornpipe "Katherine Brennan's Favorite." The tune’s origins are obscure, however, it appears to have been composed in comparatively modern times. A creditable rumor has it that it came out of the New York Irish traditional music community sometime in the mid-20th century. The alternate title, “Katherine Brennan’s Favorite” points its being populazed by a teacher of New York fiddler Andy McGann’s, which certainly dates it prior to any of the printed sources listed below.
Additional notes Source for notated version : - Delaware Water Gap (N.Y.) [Brody]; April Limber [Phillips]; the Bridge Ceili Band [Mulvihill]; Paddy Organ Mullins of the Kilfenora Céilí Band [Treoir].
Printed sources : - Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; p. 272. Bulmer & Sharpley (Music from Ireland vol. 1), 1974, No. 53. Laufman (Okay, Let's Try a Contra, Men on the Right, Ladies on the Left, Up and Down the Hall), 1973; p. 35. McNulty (Dance Music of Ireland), 1965; p. 16. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddler’s Repertoire), 1983; No. 87. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No.. 24, p. 6 (appears as “Swinging on the Gate”). Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1), 1994; p. 237. Prior (Fionn Seisiún 2), 2003; p. 19. Sannella, Balance and Swing (CDSS). Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; p. 155. Sweet (Fifer’s Delight), 1965/1981; p. 71. Treoir, vol. 41, No. 2, 2009; p. 20.
Recorded sources : - Folkways FTS 31098, Ken Perlman - "Clawhammer Banjo and Fingerstyle Guitar Solos." Front Hall 05, Fennigs All Stars - "Saturday Night in the Provinces." Front Hall 03, Dudley Laufman "Swinging on a Gate" (1974). Green Linnet 1009, Edire Og Ceili Band - "Irish Music: The Living Tradition." Green Linnet GLCD 1135, Martin Mulhaire, Séamus Connolly, Jack Coen, with Felix Dolan - "Warming Up" (1993). Green Linnet 1021, Father Charles Coen - "Father Charlie." Kicking Mule 205, Delaware Water Gap - "From the Rivers of Babylon to the Land of Jazz" (1979. Learned from Dudley Laufman's Canterbury Dance Orchestra).
See also listing at : Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
We use cookies (and similar technologies) to personalise content and improve The Traditional Tune Archive website.
With these cookies we collect few and indispensable information about you. With this we adapt our website and communication to your preferences. You can read more about it in our privacy policy.
If you want to manage your cookie preferences, click on Manage preferences. By clicking on Accept all, you agree to the use of all cookies. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time.
