"Humours of Tuaimgreine"

(Biddy Mickey's, Julia Clifford's, Loch Gamhna ('Gowna'), Loch Leven Castle, Lochleven Castle, Lough Gowna, Pléaráca Thuaim Gréine, Silver Street Lasses, Tom Greany's Castle, Tomgraney Castle, Toomgraney Castle, Tuamgrainey Castle, Tuamgraney, Tuamgraney Castle, Tuamigrainey Castle.)

Hornpipe, ADorian, AAB.

FF Type	Tune Type	Var ABC file	FF ABC file	FF .ly file
Standards	tune			MIDI

Orig	History	VarABCs	FF_ABC	FF_Lilypond	FF_Snippet

Playing or Personal Notes:

No personal notes.

History

The version we are using right now appears to come from a whistle tunebook, and while it is not my favourite version (there are simpler, more pleasant versions in the "var-Humours of Tuamgreine.abc" file), it does at least provide chords.

The tune includes the following description of the history;

Tuamgréine is a small town in County Claire, wiht a ruined castle where the O'Gradys used to lord it. The old church there was restored in the 10th century by the Irish hero-king Brian Boru. Brian was famous for his warmaking upon the Danes in Ireland. After years of strife he became, first, king of the South of Ireland, and later Ard Ri or high king of all Ireland. Finally, in his seventieth year, he drove the Vikings out of the country altogether at the battle of Clontarf, where he himself was killed.

But Briann's greatest acheivement was to create a cultural and religious revival in Ireland. Prior to the 10th century, learning had been nourished and fostered in monasteries; but the Vikings had raised Cain over that. Brian Boru founded a new secular order, the Bardic order, and the Bards were the intellectual movers and shakers of the land for five hundred years and inspired beyond that an enduring heritage.

A harp which traditionally is supposed to have belonged to Brian Boru can still be seen in Dublin.

On the Web:

the Session	Fiddler's Companion	Cape Breton Fiddler	IrishTune