Joe Cooley

The Sailor On The Rock (Reel) | Tunes From Doolin | Irish Traditional Music

Sailor on the Rock (The)

The Sailor on the Rock is a great session tune that I associate with the playing of Joe Cooley, the legendary accordion player from Peterswell, Co. Galway. I learned this reel through various sessions, can’t really pin one down in particular as it is quite a popular session tune.

Drowsy Maggie (reel) | Tunes From Doolin | Irish Traditional Music

Drowsy Maggie

“Drowsy Maggie” is one of the most famous reels in Irish Traditional Music. It is a great little tune and I only started playing again recently. This version is quite standard, but there is also a wonderful three part versions going around, which is associated with the great accordion Joe Cooley.

Cooley's Reel | Tunes From Doolin | Irish Traditional Music

Cooley’s Reel

This is a very famous reel associated with Joe Cooley, the great accordion player from Peterswell in Co. Galway. The original title of this tune was “The Tulla Reel” I believe, but it has been known as “Cooley’s Reel” for a long time now, and it is very often followed by “The Wise Maid”.