An Sean Duine
I learned the jig “An Sean Duine” from my friend in Switzerland Geneviève, who plays the accordion. I think she got it on Mick O’Brien’s CD “The Morning Dew”.
This section contains Single Jigs, Double Jigs, Slip Jigs and Hop Jigs.
I learned the jig “An Sean Duine” from my friend in Switzerland Geneviève, who plays the accordion. I think she got it on Mick O’Brien’s CD “The Morning Dew”.
“Anthony Frawley’s” is a very common jig in the Doolin area. I don’t remember where or when I learned it, but I associate this tune with Christy Barry, Terry Bingham and Kevin Griffin who recorded it for a TG4 program during the summer of 2014.
“Apples in Winter” has been one of my favourite jigs for a very long time. I first learned it from a session recording I made of Yvonne Casey, Terry Bingham and my friend Stéphane.
This is a version of the well-known jig Apples in Winter (standard setting here). I got it from Jack Talty and Aine Bird on the album “Tunes In The Church”, and it comes from the playing of Tom Carey and Solus Lillis I believe.
“The Atholl Highlanders” is a tune of scottish origin. Mostly played as a jig, even though it was originally a march I believe. It is very much associated with the fiddle music of Donegal and was recorded by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy on their legendary album “Ceol Aduaidh”.
“The Banks of Newfoundland” is a very nice jig I heard during the Russell Weekend 2013 with Christy Barry and Terry Bingham. Terry got it from John Blake, Lamond Gillespie and Mick Leahy’s album “Traditional Irish Music From London”.
“The Banks of the Shannon” is a composition Paddy Taylor, flute player from Limerick. It is also know simply as “Paddy Taylor’s Jig” by many. I associate this tune with Noel O’Donoghue who recorded it with his band Moher.
I learned “Barrel Rafferty’s” from the playing of Mike Rafferty, I listened to his recordings a good bit a while back and this is where I got this jig. Danny Mahony also recorded this tune on his solo album “In Retrospect”, on which it is followed by “The Drumraney Lass”.
A classic jig here in County Clare, “The Battering Ram” is a tune I learned through various sessions. This jig is very much associated with legendary Clare concertina players such as Elizabeth Crotty, Tommy McMahon, Bernard O’Sullivan, etc.
“Behind the Haystack” is a jig I learned from Noel O’Donoghue and Hugh Healy, on the second Riches of Clare CD. It is sometimes called “Munster Buttermilk” as well.
I learned Bill Collin’s Jig from Hugh Healy and Blackie O’Connell’s album “We Were Drinking And Kissing The Ladies”. It is a very nice jig that is quite common in sessions. They call it “The Harty Boys” on their album
I learned “Billy McCormick’s Jig” at a workshop with Terry Bingham during the Russell Memorial Weekend in 2012. Terry also recorded this tune on his album, after “The Kilmaley Jig”. He associates it with fiddle player Connie Connell’s.
I learned “Billy O’Rourke Is The Buachaill” from my friend Damian Werner, a great flute player from Hawaii who has been living in Co. Clare for many years. He played this tune at a session during the Corofin Trad Fest 2014.
“The Boys of Tandragee” is a great jig that I got at a session with Christy Barry and Terry Bingham, in Gus O’Connor’s Pub. It can also be played in D minor, but E minor is the most common key.
I learned “The Boys of the Town” from Noel O’Donoghue, Hugh Healy, Colm Healy and Eric Healy. They play it at the end of a set they recorded for a Geantraí program on TG4 a few years ago.
I learned “The Butcher’s March” from Yvonne Casey and Terry Bingham. They recorded this jig on the great CD in support of the Doolin Coastguards, back in 1994.
This is a lovely jig that I learned from Cathy Custy’s beautiful album “An Ceoltoir Fanach”. She plays if after “Gerry’s Beaver Hat”. The late Dympna O’Sullivan, who was one of my favourite concertina player, also recorded it on her first CD “Bean Chairdín”. This tune is played quite regularly in sessions around Doolin.
“Castletown Connors” is a jig I learned while I was working at Magnetic Music Café, my first ever job in Doolin. It actually featured on a compilation album from The Irish Folk Festival 2001, which I enjoyed listening to while working, and was played by the band Na Dórsa (feat. Paul Bradly, Martin Quinn, Tiarnán Ó Duinnchin among others). I’ve always liked this tune and you hear it in session every now and then.
The Cat’s Meow is a wonderful jig composed by Joanie Madden, the great Irish-American flute and whistle player and leader of Cherish The Ladies. It is quite a common tune nowadays and I learned it from Aine O’Donoghue and Aine Griffey.
“Christy Barry’s Jigs” are well known all over the world, this is the first one. Christy is a great flute and whistle player from Ennistymon, but he has been living in Doolin for many years. I have learned many tunes from Christy, who has always been so generous in the way he shares his music.
This is the second tune of the Christy Barry’s set. It is also known as “The Butlers of Glen Avenue” and was composed by banjo player Anthony Sullivan, but it is widely known as “Christy Barry’s Jig No. 2”.
This is a version of the famous jig “The Cliffs Of Moher” that I got from my friend Chrisophe Guillemot, a great fiddle player and harpist from Brittany who spent a few summers in Doolin.
Maybe more common as a Hop Jig, I learned this Slip Jig version of “Comb Your Hair And Curl It” from Altan’s album “The Blue Idol”.
“The Coming of Spring” is a beautiful jig composed by the great Paddy O’Brien (Tipperary). I first heard it and then learned it from the playing of Dympna O’Sullivan and Joan Hanrahan. It has been one of my favourite jigs for several years now.
“Con Cassidy’s” is a jig from Donegal which I learned from the playing of the great flute player Frankie Kennedy, who recorded it on his wonderful duet album with Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh. Hugh and Colm Healy also recorded it on their album Macalla na hÓige.
“Con Curtin’s Big Balloon” is a beautiful jig I learned from Angelina Carberry and Martin Quinn’s album. It can also be found in O’Neill’s under the name “Hide And Go Seek”. I associate this jig with Paddy Carty as well, who recorded it twice actually!
“Condon’s Frolics” is another jig I learned from the playing of Terry Bingham. This version is also very close to the one recorded by Paddy Keenan on his album “Poirt An Phíobaire”. It is also called “Conlon’s Frolics” at times.
“Connaughtman’s Rambles” is one of the most famous traditional Irish tunes and you can hear it at sessions all over the world, including in Doolin! I associate this tune with Kevin Griffin, one of Ireland’s top banjo player who I am lucky to play with here in Doolin.
“Contentment is Wealth” is a great jig I learned from my friend Thierry Masure, a fiddle player from Belgium who lives in Co. Clare also. There are a few different versions of this tune, but this is the one I got from Thierry, which was also recorded by Paddy Murphy, the legendary concertina player from Fiach Roe, Co. Clare. Another great recording of this lovely jig can also be found on Dan Gurney’s album.
I learned “The Cordal Jig” from my good friend Sami Koenig, a wonderful fiddle player from Switzerland, during one of his visits to Ireland. Cordal is a village in North Kerry.
I learned “Dever The Dancer” from Lorraine Hickey and Kevin Rowsome, who recorded this lovely slip jig on one of the Irish Folk Festival’s compilation CDs. I used to listen to these albums quite a lot when I was working in Magnetic Music Café, which my very first job in Doolin back in 2006. I actually met Kevin Rowsome at the Russell Memorial Weekend in 2020, a true gentleman a wonderful piper.
“Don’t Touch That Green Linnet” is a composition of the late Tommy Peoples, the fiddle player from Donegal who lived in County Clare for many years and influenced many great fiddles players. Tommy’s tunes are all remarkable and I particularly like this one.
I learned the jig “Donnybrook Fair” from the playing of concertina player Dympna O’Sullivan. It is a common session tune, which was also recorded by Josephine Marsh on the album “To Meet A Friend” with Cyril O’Donoghue.
A composition of fiddle player Sean Ryan, “Dooney Rock” is part of a set recorded by James Cullinan & the late PJ Crotty on their album “Happy To Meet”. The first tune of the set is “Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part” and the last one “The Humours of Ballingarry”.
I learned “Down The Back Lane” from Terry Bingham’s album, but it is a jig widely associated with piper Willie Clancy from Miltown Malbay, as well as fiddle player Bobby Casey.
“Drummond Castle” is a jig that comes from Scotland originally, but I have learned it from John Blake, Lamond Gillespie & Mick Leahy on the amazing album “Traditional Irish Music From London”. It comes after another very nice tune called “The Banks of Newfoundland” and the set has become a favourite with many musicians around Doolin.
“The Drumraney Lass” is a jig that I learned from Hugh Healy and Blackie O’Connell. They recorded it on their album “We Were Drinking And Kissing The Ladies” back in 2010. X:1 T:Drumraney Lass, The M:6/8 R:Jig K:Ador |:A2A ABA|GEE G2B|A2A ABd|edB gdB| A2A ABA|GEE G2B|dBA GAB|ded dBA:|| |:def g2g|agf
This is a jig composed by Eddie Kelly, fiddle player from East Galway. He wrote several other beautiful tunes, including “The Meelick Team”. I learned this particular one from my friend Stéphane.
I learned this lovely jig, “Eddie Moloney’s”, from Terry Bingham during the Russell Memorial Weekend back in 2012. Eddie Moloney was a flute player from East Galway and this particular tune was recorded on one of my all time favourite albums, “The Thing Itself” by Maeve Donnelly & Peadar O’Loughlin.
I learned “The Fairhaired Boy” from my friend Johannes in Switzerland, a great flute player. This is also a jig I associate with Charlie Piggott (accordion), who recorded on the album “The Lonely Stranded Band” with Miriam Collins (concertina) and Joe Corcoran (bouzouki).
I learned “Fanning’s Jig” from the playing of Jackie Daly, who recorded it on his album “Many’s A Wild Night”. The ABC says it is in E minor but it really is a G / E minor tune. I recorded this tune as part of a set of jigs I did for the #quarantunes challenge on Facebook, see video below.
I heard it from the playing of accordion player Bryan O’Leary, who cites Paddy Cronin as the source. It is a very old tune that appears as “A Feg For A Kiss” in Robert Bremner’s 1757 collection, and probably is a version of the more famous slip jig “A Fig For A Kiss”.
I learned “The Further, The Deeper” from the beautiful recording “… Born For Sport” by Paul O’Shaugnessy & Harry Bradley. It was also recorded by Edel Fox and Neil Byrne under the name “Drive The Cows Home”.
“The Gaelic Club” is not a common session tune, but I’ve loved playing it for many years now. I learned it from Hugh & Colm Healy’s album “Macalla na hÓige” and it was also recorded in 2015 by my friends Tom Delany and Caroline Keane with their band FourWinds.
I learned this beautiful jig, “The Gallowglass”, from my friend Adam Shapiro. Adam is an amazing fiddle player from South Africa who has been living in Clare for many years and is a member of The Fiddle Case. I also associate this tune with another friend of mine, Kirsten Alstaff, who recorded this jig on her first solo album. It actually gave the name to the album as well.
“The Gande in the Pratie Hole” is a jig I associate with my friend Tom Delany. I learned it from him during one his visits in Doolin, back in 2011. The band Moher, which features Noel O’Donoghue (flute) and Michael Queally (fiddle) among others also recorded it.
Garrett Barry’s is one of the first jigs I ever learned. It is a common session tune associated with the blind piper Garrett Barry from Inagh, in Co. Clare.
“Gerry’s Beaver Hat” is a common jig. I learned it from the playing of Cathy Custy, who recorded it on her lovely CD “An Ceoltoir Fanach”.
I learned “The Girls of Banbridge” at a workshop with Terry Bingham during the Russell Memorial Weekend a few years back. I don’t remember hearing this jig in sessions but I think it’s a really nice tune nonetheless.
“Give Us A Drink Of Water” is a slip jig which I learned through various sessions. I associate this tune with James Devitt, fiddle player from Kilfenora.
“The Goat On The Green” is the first tune I ever learned on the concertina. It comes from Terry Bingham’s album, as part of a set called “Charlie Harris'”. It is not a very common session tune but you hear it every now and then. It also goes by the name “The Frog In The Well”.
“The Green Fields of Woodford” is the last jig of the set recorded by Alan & John Kelly that is quite popular around Doolin. The first tune of the set is “Ned Coleman’s” and the second one is “Old Joe’s”.
“The Hag at the Churn” is a jig that I associate with piper Paddy Keenan, who is a regular visitor to Doolin. He recorded it with The Bothy Band and also on his album with Tommy O’Sullivan “The Long Grazing Acre”. Josephine Marsh also recorded a very nice version of this tune on the album “To Meet A Friend” with Cyril O’Donoghue.
I learned “Happy to Meet and Sorry to Part” from James Cullinan & PJ Crotty’s CD “Happy To Meet”, one of my favourite albums ever. This jig is the first of a set from the album that we play regularly around Doolin. The two jigs that follow are “Dooney Rock” and “The Humours of Ballingarry“.
“The Haunted House” is a composition of flute player Vincent Broderick. I learned this jig through various sessions but I associate it with Mark Burke in particular, a great accordion player from Lahinch. The tune was written in G, but you also hear it in A from time to time.
“Have a Drink with Me” is a common session tune which I learned through various sessions. I associate this tune with Mary MacNamara though, who recorded it on her album “Traditional Music from East Clare”.
“The Hole In The Hedge” is a jig I picked up at a session in Gus O’Connor’s Pub with Eoin O’Neill, Quentin Cooper, Jon O’Connell, Terry Bingham and Thierry Masure. It is related to “Larry The Beer Drinker”.
“The Horsehoe” is a jig I learned from my friend JB Samzun (fiddle). JB learned it from John Joe Tuttle who told him it came from the playing of Patsy Geary, who had no name for it. He taught the tune to John Kelly Senior, who called it after his shop on Capel Street in Dublin, and the name stuck ever since.
“The Humours of Ballingarry” is a popular jig around Doolin. It is the last tune of a set that I learned from James Cullinan abd PJ Crotty’s album. The First two jigs of this set are “Happy to Meet and Sorry to Part” and “Dooney Rock”. Hugh & Colm Healy also recorded “The Humours of Ballingarry” on their CD “Macalla na hÓige”.
“The Humours of Ballymanus” is a slip jig I learned from Siobhan Peoples and Murty Ryan’s wonderful album “Time on our Hands”. Siobhan and Murty are two fabulous musicians who live in Ennis and in my opinion one of the best duet of the last 20 years in Irish music.
“The Humours of Glendart” is a common session tune which I learned through various sessions. I associate this tune with the great accordion player from Lisdoonvarna Bobby Gardiner, who lives in Tipperary. It is always a great pleasure to see Bobby on his visits to North Clare and a pleasure to share tunes with him.
“The Humours of Slip Jig” is a slip jig very much associated with Donegal music. I learned it from accordion player Dermot Byrne, who is now based in Clare.
“I Buried my Wife and Danced on top of her Grave” is a popular session tune. I associate this jig with fiddle player Martin Hayes as I have always loved his version on his first album.
“I Ne’er Shall Wean Her” is a beautiful jig that I learned from Christy McNamara’s album “The House I Was Reared In”. Christy is an amazing photographer as well and he has taken some great photos of musicians over the past 30 years.
“I Will if I Can” is a jig that I associate with the village of Kilfenora, and fiddle James Devitt in particular. I learned it through various sessions in North Clare and it is quite a popular tune in the area.
“Jackie Small’s” is a jig that I learned from Terry Bingham during the Russell Memorial Weekend back in 2015, and I believe got that tune from the playing of De Dannan. It also features on a great album called “The Bank of Turf” by Tommy Fitzharris (flute) and Donal McCague (fiddle).
“Jackson’s Morning Brush” is an old tune that was composed in the 18th Century. I learned this jig from Hugh & Colm Healy, which they recorded on their album “Macalla na hÓige”.
“Joe Killmurray’s” is a slip jig I learned from Peter Carberry and Pádraig McGovern, it is the opening tune of their wonderful album “Forgotten Gems”. I actually received this album as a birthday give from Tom Delany
“John Kimmel’s” is a jig I learned from my friend Geneviève Lambert, an accordion player in Switzerland. It is also known as “The Jig of Dead” and is associated with John J. Kimmel, famous accordion player in America in the early 1900s.
“John McHugh’s Jig” is a very common session tune here in Doolin. I learned it at one of the Super Sunday sessions in O’Connor’s Pub with Noel O’Donoghue, Sean Vaughan and Hugh Healy. It is part of one of my favourite set, which is associated with the Kilfenora Ceili Band.
This jig comes from the playing of John Williams, a great concertina and accordion player from Chicago, whose father came from Doolin. John spent a lot of time in Doolin over the years, but I learned this particular tune from a YouTube video.
I learned Johnny Leary’s Jig from Terry Bingham, at a workshop during the Russell Memorial Weekend 2013. It is a nice tune that you hear every now and then in sessions, but not too often.
The Kesh Jig is a very common session tune in Irish Traditional Music. One of memory that sticks out is a session with Sean Vaughan and Siobhan Peoples who started the session with this tune and great lift and energy.
“The Kilcummin” is a tune I learned from a session in McGann’s Pub with Yvonne Casey and Terry Bingham. They played it as a jig, but I think it is also played as a slide.
I learned “The Kilfenora Lass” from Tommy Peoples, it is on the “Fiddler’s Fancy” CD. When I learned this jig I thought it would be a common Kilfenora tune, but the truth is I actually never heard it in sessions.
The Killavil Jig was one of the first tunes I learned on the tin whistle, before I even started playing the concertina. I believe I learned it from my friend Stéphane, who used to play it a good bit when he first started playing the accordion. It is a very common session tune.
I learned The Kilmaley Jig from Terry Bingham’s CD “Traditional Irish Music from Doolin, Co. Clare”, which is one of my all-time favourites. He follows this tune with “Billy McCormick’s”, another lovely jig. Kilmaley is a parish here in Co. Clare, close to Ennis.
The Kilmovee Jig is a common session tune which I associate with my friend Dom Keogh, a great bodhran player from that area in County Mayo. I lived with Dom for a few month here in Doolin, and it was always one of his favourites. It has been recorded on a few CDs, including a nice version by Mary & Gary Shannon on the “Sanctuary Sessions” CD from Cruise’s pub in Ennis. Gavin Whelan also recorded a nice version.
I learned “Larry The Beer Drinker” from Terry Bingham during a concertina workshop at the Russell Memorial Weekend 2014. Andrew MacNamara recorded this tune on his album “Dawn”, he plays it after one of my favourite jigs, “Contentment is Wealth”.
“The Lilting Banshee” is a very common session jig and it was the second tune I ever learned. My friend Stéphane taught it to me on tin whistle during my first summer in Doolin, back in 2006.
I definitely don’t consider myself a composer, but I did try to write a couple of tunes over the years. Here is one, “Lily’s Jig”, which I wrote shortly after my first daughter, Lily, was born in 2011.
“The Little Black Pig” is a version of the well known jig “The Walls of Liscarrol”. I learned this tune from the playing of Doolin’s own Micho Russell.
I learned The Lost and Found from the the playing of Terry Bingham. It was one of the first tunes I ever learned on the concertina and has been one of my favourites ever since. It is quite a common session tune too!
The Luachrachán’s Jig was composed by Junior Crehan from Ballimackea near Miltown Malbay. It is a common session tune that I learned from Junior Crehan’s Daughter Angela Crotty at a session in Gus O’Connor’s Pub.
I learned “Mac’s Fancy” from the playing of Josephine Marsh, who recorded it on the great compilation album “The Sanctuary Sessions”, recorded live at Cruise’s Pub in Ennis. This jig is usually played after “Winnie Hayes’ Jig” around Doolin.
“The Maho Snaps” is a lovely little jig that I got from Terry Bingham during the Russell Memorial Weekend a few years back. I believe Terry got this tunes from Cathal McConnell, the flute player with The Boys Of The Lough.
I associate “The Maid on the Green” with whistle and flute player Christy Barry from Ennistymon and also the legendary Chris Droney from Bell Harbour.
“The Meeling Team”, is a composition of Eddie Kelly, fiddle player from East Galway. I associate this jig with the playing of Paddy Carty & Conor Tully, who recorded it on their classic album “Traditional Music of Ireland”.
Morrison’s Jig is a very common Irish session tune associated with the great fiddler James Morrison from Sligo. I associate this tune this tune with my friend Adrian McMahon, a great flute player who learned many tunes from Peader Reilly. Kevin Griffin recorded this….
“Old John’s” has been one of my favourite jigs for many years. I learned it from a recording of Tommy Peoples and also associate it with Tony MacMahon, the great accordion player from Clare.
The One That Was Lost is a jig I have known for a long time and is one of my favourite tunes. It is a composition of the great Paddy O’Brien from Tipperary and quite a common session tune.
“The Pipe On The Hob” is a very old tune that is quite common in sessions around Doolin. I associate this jig with Christy Barry and James Devitt.
“The Rolling Wave” is a jig I associate with Tony MacMahon, the great box player from Clare. He recorded it on the album “MacMahon From Clare” but it was also released on the live album with Steve Cooney more recently.
“Scatter The Mud” is a jig that I learned from the playing of Charlie Piggott, who recorded it on the album The Lonely Stranded Band together with concertina player Miriam Collins and Joe Corcoran on bouzouki.
”The Shoemaker’s Fancy” is a jig that I learned from Yvonne Casey & Terry Bingham at a session in McGann’s Pub. It also features on a great CD called “The Humours of Highgate” by John Blake, Lamond Gillespie & Mick Leahy, which is one of my favourite albums.
Sliabh Russell (or “Slieve Russell”) is a well known jig all over Ireland. I learned this tune from my friend Tom Delany. It was also recorded on many albums, such as Hugh & Colm Healy’s “Macalla na hÓige”
I learned “The Sunny Hills of Beara” in 2020, it is a wonderful jig composed by the late John Dwyer. I learned it from the playing of Tony O’Connell (concertina) and Brid Harper (fiddle), who recorded it on Tony’s solo album “‘Live And Well”.
“Tatter Jack Walsh” is a tune I learned from the playing of Micho Russell and his brother Gussie. They recorded it as a tin whistle duet on the LP “The Russell Family” back in 1975. There is also a nice variation of the second part that I learned from Noel O’Donoghue.
Willie Coleman’s is a very common jig. It was taught to me by my friend Tom Delany, and I also associate this tune with the playing of Kitty Hayes’.
I learned “Young Tom Ennis” from a session in McGann’s Pub with Yvonne Casey and Terry Bingham. This jig was recorded on the wonderful album “In Good Company” by Kevin Crawford, on which he plays this particular tune with James Cullinan, the great fiddle player who lives in Doolin also.
Master Crowley’s is a reel I learned from Hugh Healy, a great concertina player from Corofin in Co. Clare. It is sometimes played with a third part which is actually the first part of “The Roscommon Reel” (also known as Master Crowley’s!), and I’ve even heard the two tunes play together as a 5-part reel.
“I Will if I Can” is a jig that I associate with the village of Kilfenora, and fiddle James Devitt in particular. I learned it through various sessions in North Clare and it is quite a popular tune in the area.
I learned “The Humours of Lissadell” after a weekend trip to Inishbofin with Tom Delany, Caroline Keane and a few others in 2014, it was like the “tune of the weekend”. It is quite a common session tune and often followed by “The Queen of May”.
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