The Flowers of Edinburgh

Reel, G; traditional Irish & Scottish

A grand tune from the traditional repertoire of Ireland and Scotland. The Flowers of Edinburgh is usually played as a reel, but can also be played as a hornpipe, slow air, or march.

The title of the tune is thought to be an ironic reference to the stench of the city of Edinburgh in the eighteenth century. That odor was due largely to the city’s open sewers and the habit of emptying chamber pots out the windows and into the street. The air was famously foul. Thus, “flowers” was a sarcastic term for the city’s “fragrance.”

Recordings

(Played as a reel)

• Video – LifescapeMusic (Liz Knowles, John Williams, et al): Celtic Passion – St. Anne’s Reel and The Flowers of Edinburgh – from the album Celtic Passion (Liz Knowles, Kieran O’Hare, Pat Broaders, Dean Magraw, John Williams)
• Audio – Grafton Street: Flowers Of Edinburgh – from the album Grafton Street (Portland, Oregon, 2015)

Sheet Music

As always for traditional tunes, the musical notation and chords do not indicate the “right” way to play the tune, but are a useful reference.

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Reel Sets
  • Edinburgh Reel Set: The Flowers of Edinburgh (G) / Torn Jacket (D) / The Virginia Reel (D)
  • St. Anne’s Reel / The Flowers of Edinburgh
  • Flowers of Edinburgh / High Road to Linton
• Hornpipe Sets
  • Flowers of Edinburgh / Staten Island Hornpipe
  • Flowers of Edinburgh / Stack of Barley

References and Resources

For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.

• More Recordings
  • Played as a Hornpipe
    • Video – Stuart Mason: Flowers of Edinburgh / Staten Island Hornpipe – from the album Tradition
    • Video – Sean O’Brien (FEIS the app): Irish Dance Music, Beginner Hornpipe, The Flowers of Edinburgh – solo accordion
  • Played as a Slow Air
    • Audio – Emily Groff: Flowers of Edinburgh – harp solo, from the album Small Fish (Bainbridge Island, Washington)
• Books
  • Book & Audio – Tom Morley: Learn to Play Irish Trad Fiddle
  • Book – Michael D. Long: The King Street Sessions Tunebook (Interactive edition by Michael Eskin) – free downloadable book in PDF format. The Interactive edition by Michael Eskin adds playable ABC transcriptions.
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Chris Haig (The Fiddle Channel): Flowers of Edinburgh (fiddle lesson) – video lesson
  • Lesson – Baron Collins-Hill (MandoLessons): Flowers Of Edinburgh (With Tabs & Play Along Tracks) – Mandolin Lesson – video lesson with downloadable sheet music and play-along audio tracks.