Anyone know the name of the first tune played in the opening to The Boys & Girls From County Clare? I’m talking about the scene where it’s black and white, an old man playing the fiddle, and two younger boys watching him. I love that tune. I love that movie, I think it’s also played near the end where John-Joe, his younger brother and the priest are all playing together.
Thanks!
-Eric
It is sometimes called The Rolling Wave, but there is more than one tune called The Rolling Wave, so an alternate title you can use is The Humours of Trim.
djm
As an aside, a friend of mine (Brendan Taaffe) and I had a gig once in a little museum in far western Vermont, on the border with New York State. We played a set that included this tune, Brendan announced it “The Humours of Trim,” and then he said he knew that Trim was a town in Ireland but he couldn’t remember where. A voice piped up from the audience: “I’m from Trim.” Sure enough, it was a man from Trim who happened to be in Vermont for a couple of weeks visiting relatives; they had heard about our concert at the last minute.
I’m sure we could all do with a bit of trim now and then. The other tune that I hear called The Rolling Wave is The Lonesome Jig.
djm
The “old man” playing the fiddle at the start of the film is Dick Glasgow, from Edinburgh [ honest ! ], who has been living in Co. Antrim for the last 15 years or so. Dick is a much-respected multi-instumentalist, and is a full-time teacher of traditional Irish music in the North of Ireland. I used to play music with him when he lived in Aberdeen. At a guess, he’d be aged in his early 50s.
I’ve always called that jig “The Rolling Wave”, although there are 2 jigs by that title. I believe that’s the name Willie Clancy recorded it under, and it was also the name given to it in the tutor books by the “Armagh Pipers’ Club”.
I’ve always heard it referred to as “The Rolling Wave”, too. Although I’ve also heard the Lonesome Jig called that as well.
I believe the Chieftains recorded it as some point as well – it was on some compilation disk a well-meaning friend made me.
djm, you are a bad boy.
Yeah, I believe The Chieftains first recorded it on Chieftain’s 8, and then I know it’s on another album The Best of the Chieftains. Sea Image is the name of their tune they play it in. Or, I guess in better words, they play The Humours of Trim on the track Sea Image. Thanks everyone, too bad I don’t know the fiddle, I think it sounds best played on one. My tin whistle will have to do!
-Eric
Actually, it sounds better on UPs, but then again, most everything does. 
djm
It does kill on the pipes, doesn’t it?
But two or three flutes playing it together is quite nice, too. All those low D cranns … 
I was taken by this tune as well; its on the 7 years listening CD in the track that Mick and Caoimhín play Sport and the Rolling Wave. Its also on the Poet and the Piper CD; Liam does it well with his flat set.
Thanks for ID-ing the fiddle player at the start-I was wondering who that was.
One of the flute players from John Joe’s band also looks like Shane MacGowan’s father… Anyone ever notice this??
I believe it also appears on the John McSherry/Mike McGoldrick ‘At First Light’ recording. Track 2. Killer hearing it with the Cnat as opposed to the original C# version I learned from the Chieftains recordings so many years back.
Bri~
Interesting. I’ve always thought of the C-nat version as most likely to be the original, but I can’t recall any clear reason why. So I tried looking it up in the Fiddler’s Companion, and they don’t seem to have the tune listed, at least by the “Rolling Waves” and “Humours of Trim” names.
Anyone know the history of this tune?
The best is two Flutes and the UP drones amazing sound. No wonder I picked this tuen up really quickly I knew I had heard it somewhere just couldn’t figure it out must have been the time I visited the Website for that movie.
YUP- I think that’s what I heard first as well those D Cranns
I’m still not even sure how to exactly do a cran… I’ve heard of it many times, but never found a website that showed you how to do one on the whistle. I also don’t know anyone who could show me.. I’m just now getting into rolls, so. Yup!
Brother Steve’s Tinwhistle pages (free!), which still take first place for my favorite “roll training” tips, might have some info somewhere:
http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/twiddlybits1.html
Dah-blah-blah t’ya,
cat.
Yeah, that’s actually the website I learned rolls from! Haha 
He said he’s going to be doing Crans soon.. How soon!!! Ahh!