Bicycle (1) (The)
<abc float="left">
X:1
T:The Bicycle
M:12/8
L:1/8
Q:160
R:slide
D:Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra
D:Brendan Begley, "We Won't Go Home Till Morning"
Z:Lorna LaVerne
K:E Aeolian
|:"Em"B2 E E2 F G2 E E3| B2 E E2 F "D"A3 F2 A |
"Em"B2 E E2 F G2 E E2 A | B2 A "Bm"d2 B "Am"A3 "D"F2 A:|
|:"Em"B2e e2d "Bm"B2A "D"F2A|"Em"Bee e2f "Bm"d3 B2A|
"Em"Bee e^de "Bm"B2A "D"=d2B|A^GA "Bm"D2F "Am"A3 "D"F2A:|
"variation, bars 7 and 8"| Bee efe B2A d2B|ABA D2F A3 A2F|
</abc>
BICYCLE [1], THE. Irish, Slide. Ireland, Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border. E Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. A kind of slip-slide local to Sliabh Luachra, often performed for dancing by Johnny O'Leary. O'Leary remarks that the tune is "kind of slip slide, if you like"--similarities to a slip jig and a slide. He remembers that the associated dance had a double wheel at the end:
If they were slow dancers they wouldn't be able to do it then,
do you see. They'd be falling around the house. They couldn't get the double wheel at all. They'd be hitting against each other. The one that could double could do it now, you could do the double, swinging easy, like. But the one that couldn't
do that is caught in that slide, if you play it fast.
(Moylan)
O'Leary associates the tune with a particular figure of the Sliabh Luachra set, and usually reserves it for the fifth figure and regards only fairly competent dancers can cope with it.
Source for notated version: recorded February, 1973, in Ballydesmond from the playing of accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra), who had the tune from Mickin Dálaigh [Moylan].
Printed source: Moylan (Johnny O'Leary) 1994; No. 15, p. 10.
__NORICHEDITOR__