Chiff and Fipple Forums

I’ve been asked to perform at a venue in a few weeks and decided that one of the airs I’ll play is “The Banks of the Suir.” Both because the audience may not know much about Irish music and because the event coordinator asked, I will need to say a little something about each piece I perform. Does anyone know any interesting facts or anecdotes about this beautiful air that I could use? Thanks!

David Power taught us this one in a workshop once, if he is watching the forum, perhaps he could comment?

JVF

Is this the air used to set the text "The Lovely Sweet Banks of the Suir"? There are a few broadsides featuring it, including one printed in New York!

http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/search/roud/17001

"Lovely sweet banks of -" seems to have been a ballad commonplace.

myles wrote:Is this the air used to set the text "The Lovely Sweet Banks of the Suir"? There are a few broadsides featuring it, including one printed in New York!

http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/search/roud/17001

"Lovely sweet banks of -" seems to have been a ballad commonplace.

Thanks, guys. Myles, regarding “The Lovely Sweet Banks of the Suir,” I wondered the same thing, but they seem different. I learned “The Banks of the Suir” at the NYC Irish Center airs workshop that the late great Bill Ochs held a decade or so ago. If I remember correctly, he said that it was a very old air that wasn’t connected with any known song.

I also remember Torrin Ryan playing it at the Catskills East Coast Pipers’ tionol 5 or 6 years ago.

I'd think of Liam Walsh of Nelius O'Cronin when it comes to this air.

Mr.Gumby wrote:I'd think of Liam Walsh of Nelius O'Cronin when it comes to this air.

Yes, I should have said that that was the model that Bill used in his seminar for this.

Joyce (Ancient Irish Music) prints that air and says it was used for the song beginning "The very first day I left Carrick" - definitely the same as the broadside "Lovely Sweet Banks..." then.

Sadly he doesn't say much else about it.

myles wrote:Joyce (Ancient Irish Music) prints that air and says it was used for the song beginning "The very first day I left Carrick" - definitely the same as the broadside "Lovely Sweet Banks..." then.

Sadly he doesn't say much else about it.

Thank you. Yes, that’s about all I’ve been able to find too. I’m playing in a couple of weeks and it’s the usual thing where most know little about the instrument and its music so the people putting this thing on want me to say a few things about each piece before I play it. E.g., “it’s a song of unrequited love... (Bean Dubh an Ghleanna),” that sort of thing. I guess I could just say that some think its quite old and it name comes from the beautiful river... I just wondered if there was anything else out there to tack onto this. Again, I appreciate the feedback!

Well for me that tune is forever linked to Chris Langan. It was more or less his "tuning piece." the first thing that would come out of the chanter when he strapped in. I remember imagining that the tune was constantly playing in his head, and there were a few times I remember him interrupting a set of reels played by us, his students and friends, completely oblivious to what we were playing, so strong was the hold of that tune on him.

bensdad wrote:Well for me that tune is forever linked to Chris Langan. It was more or less his "tuning piece." the first thing that would come out of the chanter when he strapped in. I remember imagining that the tune was constantly playing in his head, and there were a few times I remember him interrupting a set of reels played by us, his students and friends, completely oblivious to what we were playing, so strong was the hold of that tune on him.

Thanks for that information. It is a good one for tuning as you can go up and down the regulator keys on it to make sure everything’s in tune.