Category Archives: Very Popular
Monaghan Twig (Amix)
The name of the reel “Monaghan Twig” probably refers to a switch or something similar, and as the name “O’Manacháin” means “descendants of monks” it might be a euphemism that downplays the severity of corporal punishment.  It could also be a meiosis, and reference a Monaghan shillelagh. As for the tune, there are many versions of “Monaghan Twig,” […]
The Kesh Jig (G)
“The Kesh Jig” is on the Bothy Band album called The Bothy Band (1975), and thereafter became a popular session tune. Often just referred to as “The Kesh,” it’s not as popular as it once was, in the 1980s for example, mostly because it is considered by some to have been over-played. It probably wouldn’t […]
Harvest Home (D)
The hornpipe “Harvest Home” is also called “The Cork Hornpipe” by people from cork, and called “Baile an FhĂłmhair” by people who prefer its Irish name.  The tune was known in the States in the 1840s. It’s probably more fun to play than to listen to. It requires some work to make the melody flow smoothly […]
Rights of Man (Eaeol)
The hornpipe “Rights of Man” is a popular hornpipe, and also known as “Bedlam Boys” (though there are other tunes by this name as well).  It has been attributed to James Hill, though admittedly there is scant evidence. It shows up in all the major Irish tune collections I’ve encountered. Some people regard it as […]
Boys of Bluehill (D)
This hornpipe, “Boys of Bluehill,” or “Buacailli Ua Cnoc-Gorm” in Irish, is a session favorite. Our old friend Chief O’Neill reported that the melody was unknown to Chicagoland Irish musicians until he transcribed it from the playing of a seventeen year old fiddler named George West, a gifted musician suffering from penury and without his own […]
Tripping Up the Stairs (D)
The jig “Tripping Up the Stairs” is a universally popular jig in sessions, and seems to come from co. Donegal. It is sometimes thought to be titled “Tripping Upstairs.” Some even think that its current title is a joke, a play on “Tripping Down the Stairs” which they think is the actual title. Still others […]
Out on the Ocean (G)
This jig, “Out on the Ocean,”  is sometimes played in A rather than G – on Planxty’s After The Break (1979), for instance. It is a great tune played either rapidly or slowly.  It seems to have been collected first by George Petrie, whose collection is available online. His best known collection is entitled Ancient Irish […]
The Lilting Banshee (Ador)
The tune we know as “The Lilting Banshee” is listed as “The Miller of Glanmire” in O’Neill’s Dance Music of Ireland (1907) – called “O’Neill’s 1001” because it has 1001 tunes in it, or called “not the yellow one, the other book.” In fact, this tune has many names, and what it’s called will depend […]
Merry Blacksmith (D)
The reel “Merry Blacksmith” is a lively, popular tune in both the Irish tradition and in American old-time. Â Though once known as “The Peeler’s Jacket,” it is not any more — unless one calls it “Peeler’s Jacket #1” and one is a supreme fan of the Fiddler’s Companion, which I am. Â The tune is often […]