Miss Emily Carmartin

July 2021

Miss Emily Carmartin by Owen Tierney

The story goes that this tune seemed to pop out one night during a session in Orkney and as the lady sitting next to Owen liked it, he gave it her name!

Owen Tierney is well-known in Orkney musical circles and frequently seen (when gathering is allowed) with his guitar or mandolin at local sessions. He also plays with long-established local band Hullion, who were part of the recent Virtually Orkney Folk Festival 2021. This was a celebration of traditional music from Orkney and beyond which was broadcast online as the real-life Orkney Folk Festival was unable to go ahead for the second year running.

Miss Emily Carmartin is a beautiful slow tune, so fits perfectly into the Slow Session repertoire. It is a tune in two parts with each part being repeated. Those with a keen eye or ear will notice that the second part of the melody in each half is identical, which makes it a great tune for memorising. The tune is included in The Slow Session Tunebook (available in our online shop) and an audio file is included below as an example of how it can be played.

Simon Ireson has recorded a version of this tune for you to play along with.