Uploaded October 2020 | Updated September 2026, 26 minutes ago
Here are three fun Irish fiddle tune reels: Father Kelly, Mountain Road, and Musical Priest. These tunes seem to be super common tunes, and they fit into so many different sets! They are great tunes to learn!
Father Kelly was written by Fr Patrick Joseph Kelly (Fr "PJ" Kelly), and was compiled in the Bulmer & Sharpley "Music from Ireland vol. 3" book published in 1976. I think that makes it more of a modern tune than a traditional tune, but it is played frequently at sessions in Colorado. I believe there is another "Father Kelly" tune that is similar, but a different tune that is sometimes referred to as "Father Kelly's #2."
Mountain Road was composed by Michael Gorman around 1922. The way I play in this video is often the parts of the tune played in local sessions in Colorado, and many consider it to be a "single reel" with two parts but there are actually six parts to the original tune! Here is a recording that is apparently of Michal Gorman playing his tune with all of the parts:
cranfordpub.com/mp3s/michaelgorman2.mp3
Musical Priest is a much older tune, collected by Francis O'Neill's " Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies" book that was published in 1903. It is in the key of B minor, which is kind of a rare key signature for Irish fiddle tunes. B minor uses the same key signature as D major, so there are lots of opportunities to plop it into a set with a D major tune. Since it starts on an "F#," it often also works well after a G major tune!
I thought I'd try a slightly different kind of video with a tad bit of cooking! I found a bunch of elderberry bushes in a park, so I thought I'd make some jam from them. I grew up with elderberry bushes in the backyard of my parent's house, so making this brought back some memories. Elderberries are low in pectin, so they need a fruit high in pectin, like apples and/or lemon added to solidify into a jam -- otherwise it will be elderberry syrup (which is also tasty!).
Elderberry bushes grow really well in the front range of Colorado. They like semi-arid, sunny climates, and you will frequently find them in public parks and landscaping around. much of the state. Many people don't realize that these bushes are actually elderberries, and instead buy overpriced elderberry infused goods that cost a ton of money at some health food grocery stores.
Rumor has it that elderberries are anti-viral, but I've been eating loads of them most of my life and still manage to get sick fairly frequently, lol. But, they do make a yummy jam!! If you have never had elderberries before, I think they taste similar to a blend between purple grapes and lightly tart prunes (dried plums).
Elderberry bushes have a lookalike that grows in more humid climates called, "Devils Walking Stick." I think the big difference between the two plants is that Devils Walking Stick bushes have thorns -- I've never seen an elderberry bush with thorns. Some people also report that elderberry may cause a stomach ache if eaten raw. I've personally never gotten a stomach ache from them, but it's probably best to cook them. =)
---- Easy Elderberry Jam Recipe ----
5-ish US cups (1.2 L) of elderberry juice -- use a juicer or a mill to remove the skins and seeds. Don't juice the stems.
2 apples, sliced (juiced if you have a juicer)
1 lemon, juiced
1.5 cups (250 g) of sugar (this makes a tart jam; add more sugar for a sweeter jam)
Put everything into a pot and heat to about 225°F (107°C), stirring frequently. It will boil for about an hour at 212 to 215-ish°F (100 - 102°C), but will rapidly increase in temperature once enough water has evaporated. Remove the apple slices if they weren't juiced, pour the jam into jars, and place in the refrigerator to set. Makes 2 small jars of jam.
Thank you for watching, and happy Autumn!! =)
~ Katy
------------
A big "Thank you!" goes to my supporters on Patreon:
patreon.com/KatyAdelson
Music store website:
goldenaspenmusic.com
Artist portfolio website:
katyadelson.com
Download/stream my "Tune Collection" album:
fanlink.to/TuneCollection
Download/stream my "Ghost Ship" single:
fanlink.to/GhostShip
Hashtags:
#FolkViolin #FiddleTunes #IrishMusic #Violin #Fiddle #KatyAdelson
Software and equipment used:
Full list of all my basic violin equipment:
katyadelson.com/about/violin-equipment-and-recommendations
Violin gear:
Violin: 1899 Ernst Kreusler “Copy of Antonius Stradivarius” violin from Germany
Bow: CodaBow Luma
Strings: Peter Infeld Medium Synthetic Core 4/4 violin strings
Rosin: Salchow Rosin
Shoulder Rest: Bonmusica Shoulder Rest
Software used (for Macintosh):
Garageband for attempted sound mixing
Final Cut Pro for video editing
PicMonkey.com for the ending cards
Plugins for sound effects (I have A LOT to learn in this department!):
East West plugins – Goliath Virtual Instrument, Spaces II
Camera:
Canon 70D + 18-135 mm kit lens
Sony RX100 V
Microphone for audio recording:
Blue Woodpecker
Here are three fun Irish fiddle tune reels: Father Kelly, Mountain Road, and Musical Priest. These tunes seem to be super common tunes, and they fit into so many different sets! They are great tunes to learn!
Father Kelly was written by Fr Patrick Joseph Kelly (Fr "PJ" Kelly), and was compiled in the Bulmer & Sharpley "Music from Ireland vol. 3" book published in 1976. I think that makes it more of a modern tune than a traditional tune, but it is played frequently at sessions in Colorado. I believe there is another "Father Kelly" tune that is similar, but a different tune that is sometimes referred to as "Father Kelly's #2."
Mountain Road was composed by Michael Gorman around 1922. The way I play in this video is often the parts of the tune played in local sessions in Colorado, and many consider it to be a "single reel" with two parts but there are actually six parts to the original tune! Here is a recording that is apparently of Michal Gorman playing his tune with all of the parts:
cranfordpub.com/mp3s/michaelgorman2.mp3
Musical Priest is a much older tune, collected by Francis O'Neill's " Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies" book that was published in 1903. It is in the key of B minor, which is kind of a rare key signature for Irish fiddle tunes. B minor uses the same key signature as D major, so there are lots of opportunities to plop it into a set with a D major tune. Since it starts on an "F#," it often also works well after a G major tune!
I thought I'd try a slightly different kind of video with a tad bit of cooking! I found a bunch of elderberry bushes in a park, so I thought I'd make some jam from them. I grew up with elderberry bushes in the backyard of my parent's house, so making this brought back some memories. Elderberries are low in pectin, so they need a fruit high in pectin, like apples and/or lemon added to solidify into a jam -- otherwise it will be elderberry syrup (which is also tasty!).
Elderberry bushes grow really well in the front range of Colorado. They like semi-arid, sunny climates, and you will frequently find them in public parks and landscaping around. much of the state. Many people don't realize that these bushes are actually elderberries, and instead buy overpriced elderberry infused goods that cost a ton of money at some health food grocery stores.
Rumor has it that elderberries are anti-viral, but I've been eating loads of them most of my life and still manage to get sick fairly frequently, lol. But, they do make a yummy jam!! If you have never had elderberries before, I think they taste similar to a blend between purple grapes and lightly tart prunes (dried plums).
Elderberry bushes have a lookalike that grows in more humid climates called, "Devils Walking Stick." I think the big difference between the two plants is that Devils Walking Stick bushes have thorns -- I've never seen an elderberry bush with thorns. Some people also report that elderberry may cause a stomach ache if eaten raw. I've personally never gotten a stomach ache from them, but it's probably best to cook them. =)
---- Easy Elderberry Jam Recipe ----
5-ish US cups (1.2 L) of elderberry juice -- use a juicer or a mill to remove the skins and seeds. Don't juice the stems.
2 apples, sliced (juiced if you have a juicer)
1 lemon, juiced
1.5 cups (250 g) of sugar (this makes a tart jam; add more sugar for a sweeter jam)
Put everything into a pot and heat to about 225°F (107°C), stirring frequently. It will boil for about an hour at 212 to 215-ish°F (100 - 102°C), but will rapidly increase in temperature once enough water has evaporated. Remove the apple slices if they weren't juiced, pour the jam into jars, and place in the refrigerator to set. Makes 2 small jars of jam.
Thank you for watching, and happy Autumn!! =)
~ Katy
------------
A big "Thank you!" goes to my supporters on Patreon:
patreon.com/KatyAdelson
Music store website:
goldenaspenmusic.com
Artist portfolio website:
katyadelson.com
Download/stream my "Tune Collection" album:
fanlink.to/TuneCollection
Download/stream my "Ghost Ship" single:
fanlink.to/GhostShip
Hashtags:
#FolkViolin #FiddleTunes #IrishMusic #Violin #Fiddle #KatyAdelson
Software and equipment used:
Full list of all my basic violin equipment:
katyadelson.com/about/violin-equipment-and-recommendations
Violin gear:
Violin: 1899 Ernst Kreusler “Copy of Antonius Stradivarius” violin from Germany
Bow: CodaBow Luma
Strings: Peter Infeld Medium Synthetic Core 4/4 violin strings
Rosin: Salchow Rosin
Shoulder Rest: Bonmusica Shoulder Rest
Software used (for Macintosh):
Garageband for attempted sound mixing
Final Cut Pro for video editing
PicMonkey.com for the ending cards
Plugins for sound effects (I have A LOT to learn in this department!):
East West plugins – Goliath Virtual Instrument, Spaces II
Camera:
Canon 70D + 18-135 mm kit lens
Sony RX100 V
Microphone for audio recording:
Blue Woodpecker
