Blackberry Blossom Reel

Traditional reel in G major, of Irish origin, present in print no later than the mid-19th century: it appears in the James Goodman manuscript collection (County Cork, c. 1850s) and in Elias Howe’s Musician’s Omnibus (Boston, 1880–1882), and was circulating widely enough to be included in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883) and later in both O’Neill collections (1903 and 1907). The tune also appears in Scottish collections under the name “Strawberry Beds,” and has been documented in Prince Edward Island and southwestern Pennsylvania. Notable recordings include James Morrison (78 rpm, Shanachie 33004), Planxty (The Well Below the Valley, Shanachie 79010 and After the Break, Tara CD 3001), Mary Bergin (Traditional Irish Music, Shanachie 79006), and Kevin Burke (An Fhidil Straith II, Gael-Linn 069).