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Annotation:Gravel Walks (The)
X: 1 T:Gravel Walks R:reel D:Paddy Glackin: Ceol ar an bhFidil le Paddy Glackin. D:Matt Molloy: Stony Steps. Z:The last part is sometimes singled. See also Jenny's Chickens, #75 Z:id:hn-reel-60 M:C| F:http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/mirror/ChrisCorrigan.com/music/Gravel_Walk_1.abc K:Ador A2eA BAeA|A2eA BAGB|A2eA (3Bcd ef|gedc BAGB:| |:A2aA gAfA|A2eA BAGB|1 A2aA gAfa|gedc BAGB:|2 ABcd efga|gedc BAGB|| |:cAAG ~A3B|cA~A2 dBGB|cAAG A2ef|gedc BAGB:| |:c2gc acgc|c2ec BAGB|c2gc acga|gedc BAGB| c2gc acgc|c2dc BAGB|1 ABcd efga|gedc BAGB:|2 Aa~a2 agef|gedc BAGB|| P:Variations A2eA BAeA|A2eA dBGB|A2eA (3Bcd ef|gfge dBGB:| |:A2aA gAfA|A2eA dBGB|1 A2aA gAfa|gedc BAGB:|2 ABcd efga|gedc BAGB|| |:(3cBA BG ~A3B|cBAe dBGB|cAAG (3ABc (3def|gfge dBGB:| |:c2gc acgc|c2ge dBGB|c2gc acga|gedc BAGB| c2gc acgc|c2ge dBGB|1 ABcd efga|gedc BAGB:|2 Aa~a2 agef|gfge dBGB||
GRAVEL WALK(S), THE. AKA - "The Gravel Path." AKA and see "Gravel Walks to Granie," "The Gravelled Walks to Granny." Irish, Reel. Ireland, Donegal. A Dorian (most versions): A Dorian/Mixolydian (Feldman & O'Doherty). Standard tuning (fiddle). ABCDD' (Songer): AABCCD (Mulvihill): AABCCDD (Mallinson): ABBCDD (Feldman & O'Doherty): AABCCDD' (Boys of the Lough, Martin & Hughes): AABBCCDD'(Brody): AABB'CCDD' (Alewine, Prior). A favorite reel in County Donegal (which has a tradition of adapting Scottish tunes), and popularized through the playing of the Byrne brothers of Kilcar and the travelling Doherty family, says Mick Conneely. In this case the root melody is the Scottish reel "Highland Man that Kissed His Grannie (1)" (see also another Irish derivative "Highlandman (2) (The)," a highland). "In Donegal, as in Shetland, the fiddle is the favourite instrument and this tune is one of those often played in octaves, that is two fiddles playing the tune an octave apart. This is a tradition that seems to belong mainly to Donegal and Kerry" (Boys of the Lough, 1977; p. 14). Caoimhin Mac Aoidh explains that Granny (sometimes "Grainne" or "Cranny") is a remote, uninhabited glen between Ardara and Glencomcille, southwest County Donegal, where locals from the villages of Ardara, Kilcar and Glen used to summer their sheep. When they went to gather them in Autumn they would access Granny by climbing up the gravel paths, thus the name. He states that in Donegal the first two parts are played once, while the latter two are doubled.
The Doherty brothers (Mickey and John) of County Donegal, both fiddlers, told versions of a story sometimes associated with "The Gravel Walks." Mickey's version can be heard on the cassette set "The Gravel Walks" (Comhairle Bhealoideas Eireann, 1990, produced by Harry Bradshaw). He tells of a man who knew only two tunes before being aided by the fairies, after which he had a vast repertoire; although learning tunes from fairies is a common phenomenon in the folklore of Britain and Ireland. Donegal fiddler Simon Doherty played the 3rd and 4th strains of "Gravel Walks" as a separate tune, named "Miss Percy's Reel."
As stated above, "Gravel Walks" belongs to a large family of tunes that is often characterized as the "Highland Man (Kissed his Granny/Mother)" family, after a popular 18th century tune characteristic of the group. Typically the first strain of this family is in 'A' dorian or mixolydian mode, while the second strain is in the the relative major, or 'C' major. In the case of "Gravel Walks," these parts are separated by two additional strains, so that the strains that identify it as a member of the "Highland Man" family are the first and fourth. There are several related Irish tunes in this family (as well as a number of Scots melodies), and include "Cavan Reel (The)," "Stenson's No. 1" (or "John Stenson's No. 1"), "Tailor's Thimble (The)," and "Tie the Bonnet". Susan Songer, in The Portland Collection (1997), states "Gravel Walks" is a good change tune for the contra dance Chorus Jig (the first tune played being the four-part "Chorus Jig"). For the dance each part is played only once.
