Go to: Hornpipes   Polkas   Airs   Misc  

Tune Title	No.		Notes
Hornpipes
Athlone, The	B1,70		From M. Reilly. PdG: Aka The Western Hornpipe, Paddy O'Brien's (CRE3,217), and The Tara Brooch; maybe a Paddy O'Bien composition.
Black Swan	B2,52		From Sean McGuire (fiddle). CM notes that he played a hornpipe he learned from John Doherty to Danny O'Donnell, who "immediately noted that Sean McGuire recorded it in a flat key and called it The Black Swan." It apparently appears in Ryan's Mammoth Collection as Minnie Foster, and (CM again) "in a White-Smith series collection in a different key as The Comet, named...to mark the occurence of a recent comet."
Bolger's	B2,48		From Eddie Bolger.
Callaghan's	B1,73		Recordings: The Chieftains 2.
Coolies	B3,74		From Eddie Bolger. PdG: This is Joe Cooley's Hornpipe, comp. by Paddy O'Brien. LLV: Aka Cooley's Hornpipe and (?) Crowley's Hornpipe (abc). Cliff Moses: abc for Paddy O'Brien's original.
Cornphiopa Gan Ainm	B4,67		PdG: [This is] ...Slievenamon (DMI812)
Cornphiopa Gan Ainm	B4,69		PdG: The Ballyoran Hornpipe in 'Whistle & Sing'
Delahunty's	B1,67		From The Regent Hotel, Leeds. PdG: Called The Wicklow Hornpipe (DMI 828, MOI 1579), The Road to Boyle (CRE3,227) and A Kerry Hornpipe in 'Treoir' III, 3p11. Recordings: The Chieftains 3.
Denis Murphy's	B1,69		From Denis Murphy (fiddle). NG: Aka Cronin's Recordings: Paddy Glackin/Paddy Keenan, Doublin' (1978) O'Keeffe/Clifford/Murphy etc, Kerry Fiddles
Flowing Tide, The	B1,66		From The Regent Hotel, Leeds. PdG: Aka Higgins's Best (MOI 1750). It's a hornpipe version of the reel known in Cape Breton as The Picnic, but I don't know which is the original. Recordings: Dick Gaughan, Coppers and Brass. Eileen Ivers (1994).
Fly in the Night, The	B2,50		From John Ferguson (accordion).
Hangman's Noose, The	B4,68		From Pat Neilly (fiddle). PdG: Aka The Home Ruler comp. by Frank McCollum. The parts are reversed. Presumed to be named for James Brown Armour, a 19th century Antrim Home Rule Champion, but in fact written for his wife. I have also seen the tune called Daniel O'Connell,the Home Ruler, which is even further off the mark; the hero of Catholic Emancipation is an unlikely dedicatee for even a broad-minded Orange Lodge master (as McCollum was).
Japanese, The	B4,65
Jim Coleman's	B2,47		From Seamus Tansey. PdG: Aka The Sweep's (CRE3,216) and Jack O'Neill's Fancy (WS359). Recordings: Kevin Burke/Jackie Daley, Eavesdropper (1981)
Jolly Butchers	B3,76		From Katie Taylor. PdG: "better known as The Tailor's Twist (CRE3,213)." Recordings: Andy McGann/Paul Reynolds (1977).
Kelly, The	B4,66		From Chris Droney (concertina).
Mulqueeney's	B4,70		PdG: "Called after Jim Mulqueeny, a fiddler from Kilfenora, County Clare, who contributed several tunes to CRE 2." Recordings: Molloy/Brady/Peoples (1978)
O'Kane's	B1,74		From Brian O'Kane.
O'Mahony's	B1,68		From Denis Murphy (fiddle) (abc). PdG: Aka The Hatter's Hornpipe and Prendiville's Hornpipe (cited in note to CRE3,225). NG: Called The Clareman's Hornpipe in Geraldine Cotter's Tin Whistle Tutor.
Reilly's	B4,71		PdG: Aka Cross the Fence (Dolores Keane and John Faulkner, 'Broken-hearted I'll Wander'; Matt Cranitch's Irish Fiddle Book, p162
Séan Rian's	B1,72		PdG: McMahon's, comp Seán Ryan (HI, p23).
Sean Ryan's A	B3,71		From Sean Ryan. PdG: Cf Higgins's Hornpipe (DMI 914, MOI 1738).
Sean Ryan's B	B3,72		From Sean Ryan.
Sean Ryan's C	B3,75		From Sean Ryan. PdG: Cf Billy Taylor's Fancy (MOI 1726) and Shanahan's Hornpipe (WS 346)
Sherlock's	B1,71		From The Regent Hotel, Leeds.
Smell of the Bog, The	B2,51		From John Regan.
Stage, The	B2,49		From Des Donelly. PdG: Aka The Merrymakers' Club (MOI 1775) and The Norfolk (Tommy peoples, 'Fifty Irish Fiddle Tunes')
Polkas
Battle of Augrim	B2,68		NG: Aka Loch Torridon.
Captain Byng	B2,74		NG: Composed by Nathaniel Gow.
Church Street	B2,69		Recordings: The Chieftains 1.
Dalaigh's	B2,71
Dark Girl, The	B3,82		From Patsy Hanly. NG: Aka The Dark Girl Dressed In Blue PV: The Dark Girl Dressed in Blue is a 'northern' polka, i.e., from the Sligo/Leitrim/Roscommon tradition, rather than a Kerry polka. (abc)
Denis Murphy's	B2,73		From Denis Murphy (fiddle). Aka Sweeney's
Denis Murphy's	B2,70		Aka Sweeney's.
Egan's	B4,77		Aka Peg Ryan's.
Gan Ainm	B4,78		From Jacky Daly (accordion). PdG: Din Tarrant's Polka (2) (Matt Cranitch's 'Irish Fiddle Book').
Gan Ainm	B4,79		From Jacky Daly (accordion). This is a Scottish tune called Happy We've Been A Thegither
John Egan's	B4,74		From Jacky Daly (accordion).
Kerry No 1	B3,80
Kerry No 2	B3,81
Lakes of Sligo, The	B4,80		From Chris Droney (concertina). Aka The Lass o' Gowrie and Over the Hills to Glory ('Fiddler's Tune Book' ed Peter Kennedy)
Mary Girl	B3,83		PdG: Recorded by John McKenna and Michael Gaffney in 1934 as Merry Girl. Aka Killoran's Polka (CRE3,79).
Murroe, The	B4,75
Pat McNicholas	B3,84		From Pat McNicholas.
Peg Ryan's	B4,77		Aka "Egan's"
Sailor's, The	B4,76		NG: This is The Barren Rocks of Aden, a Scottish pipe march.
St Mary's	B2,72
Tom McVicar's	B2,75		From Tom McVicar. PV: This tune was recorded in the early 1950s by the Boston based Johnny Powell Band for Copley as The Galway Rogue. I've seen it also as The Galway Belle, and Dan O'Leary, on the old Shanachie LP 'Trad. Music from the Kingdom of Kerry' called it The Last Chance Polka. This is a somewhat unusual version of it.
Toormore No.1	B4,72		From Jacky Daly (accordion).
Toormore No.2	B4,73		From Jacky Daly (accordion).
Up and Away	B3,85
Airs
Alitor	B2,84
Breton Air	B1,82
Give Me Your Hand	B1,83		PdG: Give Me Your Hand or Tabhair Dom Do Lámh was composed by the 17th century Irish harper Rory Dall (= blind) O'Cahan. O'Neill recounts the story behind its composition in "Irish Minstrels and Musicians", pp.60-61. Briefly, O'Cahan travelled to Scotland "attended by the retinue of a gentleman of large property", and visited the houses of the Scottish nobility. At Eglinton Castle, Ayrshire, Lady Eglinton commanded him to play a tune, at which insult to his dignity O'Cahan took offence and left. When she found out who he was, the Lady "sought and effected a speedy reconciliation" - hence the composition. "It is a curious coincidence that after spending many years with McLeod of Dunvegan, in the Isle of Skye, O'Cahan should die at Eglinton Castle about the year 1653 [O'Neill gives 1646 as O'Cahan's birth date, so one of these dates must be wrong]. In some unaccountable way during his long sojourn in Scotland he became known as Rory Dall Morrison, and this has so clouded his origin and identity as to involve his very nationality in question." Recordings: Planxty: First Album (1973).
John Dwyer of the Glen	B2,87
Love Lie Beside Me, O	B2,86
Munster Cloak, The	B1,80
O Love Lie Beside Me	B2,86
South Wind, The	B1,79		NG: Aka An Ghaoth Aneas. Aka The Wind From the South. Bunting has it as I Have a Secret to Tell You. Recordings: The Chieftains 3.
Misc
?	B1,82
Battle of Cremona	B1,81		March. NG: Aka The Lea Rig.
Chanter's Tune, The	B2,79		March. From Willie Clancy.
Eagle's Whistle, The	B2,76		March.
Fiddler Round Fairy Tree	B2,85		Set dance. From John Doonan.
Lord Mayo's	B2,78		March. Recordings: The Chieftains 3.
March of the King of Laoise	B2,81		March.
Pikeman's, The	B2,77		March. From Cathal McConnell (flute).
Reaper of Glanree	B2,82		Set dance. From John Doonan.
Return From Fingal, The	B2,80		March.
Sonny's Mazurka	B4,90		Mazurka. NG: Named after Sonny Brogan. Recordings:The Chieftains 3.
Youghal Harbour	B2,83		Set dance. From John Doonan.

Back to Top