Here’s a popular session tune that’s been widely played and recorded over the past few decades. Uilleann piper Seamus Ennis is said to have collected the piece as an untitled reel in the 1940s in Connemara, but despite its status as a traditional tune, “The Drunken Landlady” didn't appear on vinyl until the 1970s or in tune anthologies until the ‘80s. The tune is most commonly played in the key of E minor, which is the way Flynn teaches it, but the Bothy Band recorded a version in the key of A minor, and there’s a great setting pitched in F minor by Noel Hill and Tony Linane, although the fiddle was undoubtedly tuned a step sharp to match the concertina in that performance. It’s a relatively simple tune in AABB format, with a handful of phrases that repeat in both parts. Flynn shows you some essential ornaments to give the tune an authentic feel, starting with a roll in the first phrase. In this video, Flynn teaches you the A part of the tune. Note that the first and third phrases are identical.
