I recently learned this jig in time for St. Pat’s (and from a bit of a nudge by Janet Burton) from the playing of Israel Welch. There is an interview with Joe Herrmann on the Augusta Heritage archives where Israel plays this jig. It’s also featured on Israel’s album “Tearin’ Down the Laurel” produced by Gerry Milnes. In the liner notes, Israel lamented that “there aren’t many people who can dance a jig anymore, although local fiddlers have always had some in their repertoires”.
The A part being a bit syncopated isn't the easiest to clawhammer, but the B is a bit more straightforward as far as down-picking jigs are concerned.
Banjo tuning: aDADE
Edited by - Noah Cline on 03/15/2026 16:23:29
Your tempo and happy mood would have the leprechauns dancing. I've always found St. Patrick's Day much fun. The actual history is quite an endearing story. I posted Temperance Reel and The South Wind this month in honor of the holiday, and wore my green striped flowery shirt.
I also want to continue learning the tunes of Israel Welch and this appears to be doable. (Is Welch a Scotch name?) I'm going to try it in open D tuning on the cello banjo and when it's done, I'll post here. So far, I have the A part and it wasn't too hard. I'm doing a kind of syncopated or delayed double/drop-thumb in the second measure and throughout parts of it. More tomorrow....
Sorry, Noah, I just noticed this was the Sound Off! forum. I'm so used to TOTW, if I hear a tune, off goes my "gotta learn it" button, as the above testifies.
You give it great jig rhythm. I haven't studied your technique for jig-time clawhammer and there's no tab for your version, I gather. The placement of the thumb is key for me. I'm tempted to use my middle finger twice in a row. Do you?
When I hear you, I'm reminded of Henry Reed and Alan Jabbbour's playing. Israel Welch also plays it very quickly and adeptly. To play along with you, I need to slow it way, way down!
quote:
Originally posted by JanetBSorry, Noah, I just noticed this was the Sound Off! forum. I'm so used to TOTW, if I hear a tune, off goes my "gotta learn it" button, as the above testifies.
You give it great jig rhythm. I haven't studied your technique for jig-time clawhammer and there's no tab for your version, I gather. The placement of the thumb is key for me. I'm tempted to use my middle finger twice in a row. Do you?
When I hear you, I'm reminded of Henry Reed and Alan Jabbbour's playing. Israel Welch also plays it very quickly and adeptly. To play along with you, I need to slow it way, way down!
No worries, Janet. Thanks for taking a go at it. I do use the thumb for some notes in drop-thumb fashion or for some fifth string notes, and I guess there are times where I use my picking finger consecutively. I know some use an alternating down/up/down pattern to achieve triplets, but I generally use the left hand with series of hammer ons and pull offs for triplets. I just try to do what feels natural when I work up a jig arrangement. Some flow better than others, as I've found. For this one in the A part, I tried keeping the fifth string going on the off beat, but it felt like I was "chugging" it, and decided to leave it a bit more lyrical with fewer filler notes.
In Gerry Milnes' interview with Israel on the Augusta Heritage archives, it was asked where the Welch's immigrated from, and the consensus, between Israel and his sister Margaret, was likely Wales. Regarding the Welch branch that ties in on my maternal grandmother's side, she too said the Welch's were from Wales.
I've always been interested in genealogy (Wikitree and Find a Grave, when accurate, have been very beneficial in addition to the written and some typed sources that my grandmother gave me that she had acquired), and I've been able to trace the Welch line back to England or Wales to a John Welsh (I could see him traveling from Wales to England to board ship, but it's not exactly known), coming to Maryland in the 1660s, owing much land east of the Chesapeake Bay in Anne Arundel County, and his descendants three or so generations later traveled west and settled in Hampshire County, VA (later WV).
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