I have to play for 30 to 45 minutes at an dedication ceremony. I’m planning a few slow airs, but too many slow airs will be painful (both to play and to listen to). So I’d like to throw in a slow jig/reel/march or two for variety but the trick is play tunes which are suitable solemn (i.e. it’s not a party).
Any suggestions? Links to sheet music or YouTube clips would be greatly appreciated.
To kick off:
An Droichead , a composition of Liam O’Flynn’s, off His Piper’s Call CD, + its on youtube.
An air of the season from Na Fili, An Londubh i’s an Cheisrseach (the blackbird and the thrush); doing their stuff), Thomas O’ Caniann playing a cracker. Not slow really, but lyrical as the two birds sing sweetly to each other… Also on YouTube
The jigs from the beginning of the Fox Chase, or even a few more parts of it.
The Munster Cloak
The Eagles Whistle
BTW, most jigs can be played relatively slowly, and coming out with a lot more music on them.
Bean Phaidin
The Irish Marche (hee hee)
Pwrt
yippee! Slow Jigs R Me:
Máirseáil Alasdruim (Alasdruim’s March)
The Butcher’s March
The Old Lark in the Morning (Seamus Ennis’s Lark)
The Lark’s March
Old Man Rocking the Cradle/Red Legs, Yellow Legs (Mick O’Brien, et. al/“Tunes from the Goodman Collection” recording)
March of the High Kings of Laois/O’Sullivan’s March
Patsy Geary’s is swell as a slow jig, as is Joe John Kelly’s
Sarsfield’s Quickstep (Jimmy O’Brien-Moran/“Take Me Tender” recording)
The Ladies March to the Ballroom
The Yellow Wattle/Fraher’s Jig (nice together)
I love slow jigs a ton, but The Yellow Wattle? I’d have to hear it done by my betters to get the right idea. I tried teaching that tune once, but unlike most other tunes, that one proved far worse to learn for the slowing; everyone’s eyes, including mine, were spinning in our heads. I never tried to teach it slowed down since. But performance might be another issue altogether; for me, though, the tune asks to be kept sprightly. Each to their own, I guess. 
Ah, no, it’s GORGEOUS slowed down. Do you have “The Smoky Chimney” with Eoin O’Sullivan and Gerry Harrington? It’s not exactly SLOW-slow there, but you can hear how lovely it is. It is eminently majestic.
What about something from O’Carolan ?
What about something from O’Carolan ?
Henry McDermott Roe or something like that could work. I was thinking set dances perhaps: Nora Criona (the middle one, not the jig, not the piece (although that would work as well). Three Sea Captains, Bonaparte’s Retreat, maybe even herself: Madame Bonaparte, Jockey at the Fair, An Suisín Bán, Seán Ui Duibhir.
March of the King of Laois
https://thesession.org/tunes/835
The Slockit Light
https://thesession.org/tunes/1863
Nick
this is nice slow - Cran did an ultra slow version with 2 flutes on Lover’s Ghost
Cran’s setting was the first I ever heard of Killarney Boys Of Pleasure, and that’s the way I still prefer it, hands down. It can be sultry, done right.
I gave up initiating it at sessions, though, because everyone else just couldn’t hold their horses. 
The Wearin’ of the Green
The Minstrel Boy
Garryowen
Mo Ghile Mear
Brian Boru’s March
The Return from Fingal
Follow Me down to Carlow
a new favorite of mine, Leslie’s March
https://thesession.org/tunes/987
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr8CxW3YER4
O’Neill’s march is good as well.
Maguire’s Kick aka the Lonesome Jig is lovely played slowly.
The “Irish lullaby” is nice too (https://thesession.org/tunes/6059)
O’Sullivan’s March
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvDtHbPcsXU&feature=youtube_gd
Play slower (we’re not All from Dublin………Bazinga)
The rose in the heather/the wandering minstrel/Jackson’s morning brush.
All sound very nice when played rather slowly.
Funny how gigs can turn out. I was initially asked to provide 3 10-minute sets of “solemn” music. On the day, the guests of honour arrived late and left early, and so I only had 2 5-minute sets. During the first set I played a slow version of the two jigs from the Foxchase, and in the second, O’farrell’s welcome to Limerick.
I got all the usual comments from the uninitiated, but also a new one: “that thing looks like an espresso machine when you take off the cover”.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Welp! Time to find an espresso machine to tinker with!
A Postscript on the ‘slowness’ issue that came to the fore in this thread.
A great example of what can be done..
Pwrt