Bellharbour Reel (2)
<abc float="left"> X:1 T:Bellharbour Reel R:reel M:C| L:1/8 Q:1/2=92 K:G D~G3 DGBd|g2dg (3efg dB|~A3G AcBA|GBAF GFEF| D~G3 DGBd|gd (3Bcd eBdB|GA (3Bcd gBdB|1 AcBA G2 GE:|2 AcBA G2 Bc|| dggf gGBd|gbaf gfed|eaag abag|eaag edBc| dggf gGBd|gbaf gedB|GA (3Bcd gBdB|1 AcBA G2 Bc:|2 AcBA G2 GE||
</abc>
BELLHARBOUR REEL [2]. AKA and see "Droney's Favourite," "The Rough Road." "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 it on his 1975 recording for Topic Records, Mr. Droney has written (to Don Meade) to deny he was the composer of the melody. "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 "The Rough Road," 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 "New Town Bridge"). Martin Mulhaire has also attributed it to O'Brien. However, in Eileen O'Brien's recently published book 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").
Recorded sources: Green Linnet GLCD 1211, Kevin Crawford - "In Good Company" (2001. Learned in 1986 from Droney's son Francis, also a concertina player. Played in the Key of E minor). Topic Records, Chris Droney - "The Flowing Tide" (1975).
__NORICHEDITOR__