Hi! This is my first post. Does anyone have a notation for the “Valencia Lament”, by the Woods band. I’m not sure if they wrote it, or if has another name, and I am so broke that I can’t buy CD’s just now 
hopefully things will change if the irish weather allows me to do enough busking! It’s a lovely tune.
Peter (aka Oz).
Hey Oz,
Well I looked in all my usual places and couldn’t find it transcribed. I also couldn’t find a sample of the track. I can send you the dots for the other tune in that set, “Apples in Winter”, if you want.
clark
I haven’t heard the record, but I imagine that the tune is Cuan Bhéil Inse, also known as Amhrán na Leabhar, a poet-schoolmaster’s lament (his name escapes me) for his books which were lost in Valentia Harbour when the boat transporting them sank.
It’s also known by the English translations of those names, viz. Valentia Harbour or the Song of the Books.
Tomás Rua Ó Súilleabháin (1785-1848)
I like the following transcription better, but recommend learning this ear. It is on Brid O Donohue’s fabulous new CD, for example.
http://www.bridodonohue.com/music.php
(I found this on fiddler’s companion, but fixed the abc’s a bit.)
X:1
T:Amhrán Na Leabhar (The Song of the Books)
M:4/4
L:1/8
Z:transcribed by Paul de Grae
K:Edor
B2|E2 EF G2 A2|Be (e4 e)f|e3 d B3 A|Bc d4 e2|
E3 F G3 F|GA B3 B2 A|G2 (E4 E)D|(E4 E) z B2|
E3 F G2 A2|Be (e4 e)f|e3 d B3 A|Bc (d4 d) z |
E2 EF G3 F|GA B3 B2 A|G2 F E4 D|(E4 E) z e2|
e2 ed e3 d|ef g4 f2|e3 d B3 A|(B4 B) z Bc|
d2 dc d3 c|dd e4 ed|B3 A G3 A|(B4 B) z B2|
E2 EF G2 A2|Be e4 ef|e3 d B3 A|Bc (d4 d)e|
E2 EF G3 F|GA B4 BA|G2 F E4 D|E6 ||
You can convert and print as .pdf at http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html
Here is an image of it:
Aw, that is lovely… 
I love this tune. Play it as much as I do the one for my mom .
NancyF
It’s most lovely played in Gm on a D whistle (or whatever pitch whistle - but in what would be Gm on a D whistle), or a third up from that transcription I posted. Good opportunity to practice half-holing and to bend notes.