Hey there chtune-sters,
Looking for dots or a recording of the reel “Men of Erin” which someone at the same session thought is also called “To the Battle, Men of Erin”, not to confuse it with the song by the same title. It’s a lovely complex e minor tune, I think of recentish vintage.
Thanks!
CM
Might you be thinking of “Man of Aran,” the Darach de Brun reel? The sideways thing is, it’s not in Eminorish – it’s usually B minor. HOWEVER, its companion, The Maple Leaf, is in E minor. Both composed by de Brun, and often played in a set, with The Maple Leaf first.
Anyway, here are the abc’s for both:
X: 1
T:The Maple Leaf
C:Darach de Bru/n
R:Reel
B:The Golden Eagle, compiled by Donncha O/ Briain
D:Grianan (Kevin Crawford): The Maid of Erin
D:Dervish: The Boys of Sligo
L:1/8
Z:transcribed by Gordon Turnbull
Q:350
M:C|
K:Em
~E3 F GE ~E2 | B2 AB AGED | ~E3 F GFGA | B2 dB cBAG |
~E3 F GE ~E2 | B2 AB AGED | Beed BAGB | c2 Bc AGED 
Beed ef g2 | Beed ed (3Bcd | Beed efge | a2 eg fded |
Beed ef g2 | Beed ed (3Bcd | a2 eg fedB | c2 Bc AGED
X: 2
T:Man of Aran
C:Darach De Brun
R:reel
D:Oisin
D:Dervish: The Boys of Sligo
Z:id:hn-reel-244
M:C|
K:Bm
FBfe dB~B2|Aced cA~A2|FBfe dB~B2|FB~B2 cB~B2|
FBfe dB~B2|ce~e2 ce~e2|~f3e dB~B2|cedc dB~B2:|
|:df~f2 df~f2|ce~e2 ce~e2|df~f2 df~f2|c2ec dB~B2|
dfaf dfaf|cege cege|dfeg fB~B2|~f3e fedc:|
“Version 2:”
FBfe dB~B2|~e3d cA~A2|FBfe dB~B2|cedc dB~B2|
~f3e dB~B2|~e3d cA~A2|(3Bcd ce d2 (3efg|~f3e dB~B2||
~f3e dB~B2|Aced cA~A2|FBfe dB~B2|cedc dB~B2|
fBeB dB~B2|~e3d cA~A2|(3Bcd ce d2 (3efg|~f3e dB~B2||
|:defd Adfd|cdec fcec|dfAD FAdB|ce~e2 dB~B2|
d2fd Adfd|cdec fcec|(3Bcd ce d2 (3efg|~f3e dB~B2:|
I learned them from Darach in a summer class at Milwaukee while back – he told us the tune titles were the names of pubs where he and his best friend’s wedding receptions took place.
If this/these weren’t the ones you were looking for, my apologies – but the Maple Leaf’s indeed a lovely complex Eminorish reel worth learning regardless 
The only 2 reels I know offhand with “Erin” usually in the names are
Green Groves of Erin: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/41
Exile of Erin: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1293
There’s also Farewell to Ireland (Erin): http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/33
None of these is in Em …
That explains it! The gentleman who told me the title was from the mid south US, and seems I misheard him. After trying to re-construct the tune I realized it must have been B minor not E mi.
Cathy, a thousand thank yous for the ABC’s!!!
Thanks for the other suggestions. I’m familiar with Green Groves of Erin, Exile of Erin and Farewell to Erin and play them reasonably. This was a completely different tune and the title (although incorrectly heard…) stuck in my brain. Thanks to all for your help!
CM
G’wan Cathy, give him Donncha too! (Go on go on go on…)
Seriously though, I think the definitive recording of these two reels (and the reason they often go together) is Donncha O’Briain’s recording. Some quick internet looking reveals that I still haven’t taken this track down: http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~nlbrown/Clips/MapleLeafManofAran-DonnchaOBriain.mp3
Thanks again! Good to hear anything played by Donncha, may God rest him.
CM
Nico! Nico!
Woot woot!
You know, I was on my way out of town but meant to share the wealth, I really did!
In my book (& thankx to Nic), Denis is the ne plus ultra on those (next to Darach, of course ), although Liam Kelly does a yeoman’s job on “The Boys of Sligo” and Kevin Crawford turns in a nice go on Grianan’s “Maid of Erin” too 
You know, I need to find those tapes from that class and convert them. I bet there’s some pretty cool stuff there I might grok a little better now. I sure hope I grok it better by now, anyway!
Wow, this is some serious whistle playing right there, thanks for the track, it’s inspiring.
Someone REALLY need to release that on CD. Or maybe the family would agree to let iTunes or eMusic.com or someone distribute it electronically.
Listening to that track just reminded me that Oisin recorded the same set years ago.
This track is from the LP released in 79 or 82 or um?
Thanks should be directed at Peter Laban, by the way, as he’s the one who originally provided it to me and asked me to upload it. But yes, wonderful, amazing, inventive, and so creative whistle playing.
“Man of Aran” very much brings to mind “Maid in the Cherry Tree” for me. Sibling or 1st cousin tunes, like.
When I get home, I will have to play both. I’d never made the connection before.
Well, I could be hallucinating. Not enough preemptive coffee this morning…
The tune’s probably not much older than what? 1975? I need to track down another tune de Brun had just written – something like “The Moving Ocean” he was calling it? He’d just gotten the copyright on it. Didn’t see anything on JC’s, though.
Kathy, Darach de Brun also has an account on The Session - he’s uilleann1. And his band Drantán has a page (and e-mail address) at http://www.bebo.com/drantan . Don’t know if he’s on the Chiff.
Hey, thanks! It’s nice to see him doing well (he’s a sweetheart of a guy), and I’d like to track down this other tune he wrote with the mysterious ocean-y name. It was grand.
“Knitting the Fog” is an ocean-y title. Maybe that’s the one?
https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9810&L=irtrad-l&D=0&P=100361
You’re thinking of “The Murmuring Tide”. I’ve kept in touch with Darach over the years and am eagerly awaiting the Drantan CD as well as his other project - “The Beehive”. “The Murmuring Tide” is on the Drantan CD. I have numerous recordings of it from the class as well as Darach’s band’s performance of it at Milwaukee Irish Fest. I don’t seem to have any notation for it though. Cathy - you must have been in the same class with Darach as I was?
Cheers,
Craig