Annotation:Bellharbour Reel (2)

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BELLHARBOUR REEL [2]. AKA and see "Droney's Favourite," "Rough Road (The)." "Sailor's Farewell." Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB'. Although sometimes attributed to Bellharbour, County Clare concertina player Chris Droney, who recorded a "Bellharbour Reel" on his 1975 recording for Topic Records, Mr. Droney has written (to Don Meade) to deny he was the composer of the melody (see "Belharbour Reel (1)" for Mr. Droney's actual composition). "Droney's Favourite," he said, was a title he believed the record company attached to the melody. The same tune, or one very similar, called "Rough Road (The)," had been recorded around 1960 by the Leitrim Ceili Band. "Bellharbour Reel" is sometimes called "New Town Bridge" stemming from its miss-labelling on the group Trian's (Billy McComiskey, Liz Carroll, Daithi Sproule) first album, where it is mistakenly attributed to Paddy O'Brien (who did compose a jig called "Newtown Bridge"). Martin Mulhaire has also attributed it to O'Brien. However, in Eileen O'Brien's recently published book (2009) on Paddy O'Brien's compositions it is called "Paddy Reynolds'", a reference to the late Sligo-style fiddler long a resident of Staten Island (and very influential in the 20th century New York Irish music scene). Don Meade does not believe Reynolds composed the tune, as Paddy only claimed one composition (a reel, "Rakes of Drumlish").

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