Alright, I nailed this in one take. After 27 false starts, that is.
Very nice playing, Martin. Plus, I like the visual affect of the lighting, your hat, etc...
Thank you Barbara. The lighting is not intentional, it just is what it is in my basement "studio" (a generous description of reality). The cap is my favorite and I wear it in the basement because it's 60* down here!
Very good, Martin. An almost perfectly Irish setting, if it weren't for that dulcimer on the wall ...
Nice. I have a few hats like that, work pretty good in the New Mexico wind.
Great playing everyone above. Hi Marcelyn and Martin. It took me a while to find this version and learn and record it with my Eastman 804
That was beautiful, Manfred.
Manfred, I agree, that was beautiful! Sounds just like you'd think a harpist would like to hear it played on a mandolin!
Martin and Manfred, both great versions, very nice playing indeed.
Manfred - that is beautiful.
Just lovely, Manfred, you really captured the feeling of this tune. Maybe you should change your last name.
Nice job Manfred. I like the voicing of your chords.
Manfred, That was really beautiful and the 804 sounded great. Well done! Eric
Thank you all for your kind words. I found this version in 'International Favorites for Mandolin' with arrangements by Joe Carr, which I hadn't looked at for a while.
Lovely, interesting chords, Manfred. I think this rendition is as near to O'Carolan's own harp playing as it can possibly get on a mandolin. Good on you that you listened to my warning not to follow my version
I've been playing this tune for a few years, but only very occasionally. When I sat down in front of my webcam today, I recorded it on the spur of the moment. This is in G, played on my 1921 Ajr. Learned originally from the notation/tab on Nigel Gatherer's web site here, notated in 6/8 time. I've heard this one played really slowly by some and quite fast by others -- this one is about halfway. Martin
Great tune. I pick it too. Just not inspired to record it. Mine sounds close to your version except I end the "a" phrase differently. Very clean great job!
Nicely done Martin. I do love the O'Carolan tunes! Presently woking a bit on Shebeeg and Shemore, which til now I'd only messed around with on whistle. Scott
Planxty John Irwin / Colonel John Irwin by O'Carolan.
This weekend I've been exploring a stash of Carolan flute harmony arrangements I found by chance at a Japanese website -- the menu structure of the site is completely unintelligible to me, so I had to get the links to the arrangements through googling for PDF files at that host. One of the files I found in that way was this arrangement of Planxty Irwin for three flutes plus chords: Link That makes a nice full band arrangement. I've used two mandolins, OM and tenor guitar and have tried to keep it as much as a live band performance as possible when multitracking at home. I've switched lead several times between mandolin, OM and tenor guitar, with the mandolin comping rhythm chords when the guitar takes the melody, but I've played each instrument through in a single take from beginning to end without splicing or overdubs and with the mix largely following the natural dynamics of the instruments. It should sound pretty much like this if you put a microphone in front of a band with these four instruments. Washburn M-3SW mandolin 1921 Gibson Ajr mandolin Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin Ozark tenor guitar Martin
I just got my cittern back from the shop, they lowered the action on it quite a bit so now I can actually play some melody on it instead of just chords so I took the opportunity to play a slower version of Planxty Irwin or Colonel John Irwin if you want to change it up.
Sounds none the worse for the action change, David. A small millimeter for a luthier, one big leap for music
Very nice arrangements! Such a pretty tune.
It was about time I learnt this tune, considering how many times I have already heard it. It's often played as a set with Planxty Fanny Power around here, so I added a quick AB of Fanny Power here. Nothing fancy. Just a break-time mobile phone video using the mandolin I keep at work.
Two years after Gelsenbury's fine performance of this tune, I'd like to present my own, played with mandolin and guitar:
Very nice crisscross. O'Carolan just never seems to get old. Thanks for this version.
Nice playing and recording chriscross.
Really nice with the tremolo.
Can’t do it slow, can’t do it fast!
