100 Vital Irish Session Tunes

These tunes form the very corner stone of Irish music sessions. They crop up with such regularity that it’s vital that you are able to play them. Every type of dance tune is represented: reels, jigs, hornpipes, polkas, slides, slip jigs, marches, set dances, waltzes, mazurkas, flings, a varsovienne, a barn dance, a single reel and a single jig. Session friendly settings: Learn them as written and you can be sure of having accurate versions. To help those whose music reading skills only extends as far as finding the notes.

Reels

Sheehan’s

Come West Along the Road

Drowsy Maggie

Maid in the Cherry Tree

The Old Torn Petticoat

The Donegal

The Wild Irishman

The Primrose Lass

Green Fields of America

The Teetotaller

The Flannel Jacket

The Heather Breeze

Rolling in the Ryegrass

John Brennan’s

The Scholar

The Fairy Dance

A Rainy DayThe Kilmaley

Miss McLeod’s

Pigtown Fling

The Galway Rambler

Bonny Kate

Morning Star

The Road to Lisdoonvarna

The Woman of the House

The Merry Blacksmith

Boys of Ballinahinch

Jigs Father Kelly’s Shandon Bells Rakes of Kildare Larry O’Gaff The Idle Road The Irish Washerwoman Frost Is All Over Saddle the Pony Gallagher’s Frolics The Sweets of May

Humours of Donnybrook Paddy Whack Top of the Cork Road Munster Buttermilk The Black Rogue The Blackthorn Stick The Mist on the Meadow The Humours of Lisheen Pay the Reckoning Tongs by the Fire The Maid on the Green The Tenpenny Bit Haste to the Wedding Hornpipes Boys of Bluehill The Plains of Boyle The Belfast Off to California Dunphy’s Harvest Home Polkas The Siege of Ennis Maggie in the Wood The German Beau Leslie’s Hornpipe Dennis Murphy’s John Ryan’s Egan’s Tralee Gaol Rattlin’ Bog

Slides Dingle Regatta Pete Bradley’s Scattery Island The Cat Rambles to the Child’s Saucepan Bunratty Boys The Weaver’s Merrily Kiss the Quaker

Slip Jigs

Foxhunters’ Jig Barney Brannigan To Limerick We Will Go The Rocky Road to Dublin Drops of Brandy Marches Napoleon Crossing the Rhine The Boys of Wexford The Triumphal The Centenary Set Dances Three Sea Captains Saint Patrick’s Day Maggie Brown’s Favourite The Downfall of Paris Madam Bonaparte The Piper through the Meadow Straying Waltzes Planxty Irwin Si Bheag, Si Mhor Planxty Fanny Power The South Wind The Munster Cloak Mazurkas The Barnacle Redowa Donegal Mazurka Varsovienne Shoo the Donkey Barn Dance The Curlew Hills Flings Love, Will You Marry Me? Green Grow the Rushes-o Single Jig Smash the Windows Single Reel Rakes of Mallow