The Trip to Pakistan

Reel in E minor

This was composed by the Scottish flute player Niall Kenny. The tune, though modern, has quickly entered the traditional repertoire, being recorded numerous times, by Old Blind Dogs (Five) for example and most recently by Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Hass on In the Moment. A seminal recording appears to be the 1994 Tannahill Weavers album Capernaum, where the tune appears as part of the 'Unicorn Set,' which has 'Trip to Pakistan' followed by the Breton 'An Andros.' Interestingly Niall Kenny himself writes: "I wrote the tune more in the Breton style rather than as a reel, and I know it is played this way by the Breton pipe bands. I think the Tannahill Weaver's version is closer to how it was written, but then I did share a flat with John Martin for a number of years." John Martin was the fiddler for the Tannahilll Weavers at the time of the Capernaum recording.