The Sally Gardens: It was done many times, for example, by Clannad. So you may have heard it.
The Parting Glass is my favourite. It was, of course, in the soundtrack of “Waking Ned Devine”, one of the best movies ever.
I’m not sure those 2 qualify as airs or songs, but that’s nitpicking. 
Well, they’re both, really. When you sing the words, they’re songs; when you just play the tune, they both qualify as “airs.” While some airs were written as music only, most are also songs, many from the “sean nos” tradition.
Redwolf
Thanks!
By the way, i goofed. This wasn’t meant to start a new topic, but to follow up on this one.
Since i started a topic… there’s also a “Sally Gardens” reel, which is unrelated.
Sally is a kind of tree, i think.
Thanks!
By the way, i goofed. This wasn’t meant to start a new topic, but to follow up on this one.
Since i started a topic… there’s also a “Sally Gardens” reel, which is unrelated.
Sally is a kind of tree, i think.
Yes…it’s a willow. I think the Irish spelling is something like “saile”…“sally” is an Anglicazation.
Redwolf
Joannie does a nice version on 'Songs of the Irish Whistle."
I have also heard it called “Down by the Sally Garden” also. One of my favorite tunes actually.
Yep, that’s what I learned it as. They are both great songs, the air can be played using slides between some of the notes and makes it a very pretty tune/song. The reel is just fun to play, really rolls off the fingers once you get it going.
Aodhan
By looking around a bit on the net I found that, as previously mentioned, saile means willow. In Yeats’ poem it’s spelled salley. The whole idea seems to float around a lot. There’s the American song Down in the Willow Garden aka Rose Connolly. I’m not sure if the melody is similar to to Sally Garden or not since I can’t quite recall it. There’s also Sally in the Garden which is another American tune. I wonder if Sally Goodin is another version of the same title. Then there’s the words to Sally Ann as sung by Tommy Jarrell.
Sally’s in the garden siftin’ sand
Suzie’s in bed with a hogeye man
I’m a’goin home with Sally Ann
I’m a’goin home with Sally Ann
Steve
I don’t believe I’d ever noticed it. Indeed it is. Yeats is glorious, isn’t he?
I grew up hearing “Down by the Willow Garden” played by the local folks- one of the old time tunes handed down . The tune is so similar to Sally Garden that I have trouble playing it , until I look at the music. Without doing that , I end up playing the willow garden tune.
BTW, Sally Gardens (the reel) is a nice tune too! Does anyone play this one? It’s pretty popular around here…if it’s rare or something I’ll post a clip.
-brett
The reel Sally Garden seems to be pretty popular. I found Sally in the Garden at a site I’d never seen before so I’ll send along the address. It might be useful. It has a bunch of standard tunes plus some tabs for several instruments, including tinwhistle. I haven’t looked at any tabs but it also says there are 'cello tabs. That’s a little odd.
http://www.abacci.com/music/default.asp
Steve
Pretty popular here. We used to do it every week in the session i go too, but we seem to be giving it a rest lately.
SteveK thanks for the link. Another site I haven’t seen yet!
There’s another good version of Sally in the Garden on Tony Elway’s CD, Swinging on a Gate.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I have seen people say that their metal or plastic whistles also need a break-in period before they sound their best. Oddly enough, I feel that my Oak seems to sound better now, after a few dozen hours, than it did out of the box.
My question is this: how can that be? It’s metal and plastic for golly sakes. I can understand wood, but metal?
Anyone have any technical reasonong?