Annotation:Reel of Rio (1) (The)
X:1 T:Reel of Rio [1], The M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel S:O’Malley Collection K:G DEGA BABd | eg~g2 agea | gedg edBd | c2 Bc AGEG | DEGA BABd | efge agea | gd~d2 edBG | AcBA G2 Bc || dg~g2 ag~g2 | bg~g2 edBe | dB~B2 GA (3Bcd | gedB AGEG | DEGA BA (3Bcd | efgb ae~e2 | gedg edBG | AcBA G2 z2 ||
REEL OF RIO [1], THE. AKA and see “McCollam's Fancy,” “Rocky Road (3) (The),” “Road to Rio (The).” Irish, Reel (cut time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (O’Malley): AABB (Mallinson, Miller & Perron): AABB' (Flaherty): AA’BB’ (Harker/Rafferty, Songer). Composed by Nenagh, County Tipperary, fiddler and whistle player biography:Seán Ryan (1919-1985). According to Seán’s son Brian the tune suggested a Latin beat, hence the title’s reference to the Brazilian city, although the title is also a pun on the name of the grain (rye). Seán Ryan’s nickname was ‘Rio’ (pronounced ‘rye-o’), and thus another layer of word-play in the title. Fr. John Quinn, in notes to the volume Sean Ryan's Dream, writes that the tune was popularized by banjo-mandolin player Noel Strange, a friend of Ryan's fond of tunes with a bit of rhythmic difference. He played the tune on a Raidió Éireann broadcast, "and both the name and the tune spread like wildfire through the country" (notwithstanding the name was pronounce "Reeo" instead of "Ryo" on the radio).
