Dave Mallinson has been known as Mally since his first day at school. He has been involved in music since the age of nine, when he learned to play the recorder. In his mid teens he played the pop music of the era on guitar, but his interest was always little more than half-hearted. In his late teens he discovered folk music but still the guitar was unable to inspire him. At the age of twenty two, Mally discovered the melodeon and immediately felt the musical stimulation he had unconsciously been seeking for many years. Practice was no longer a chore, it was his favourite occupation, an addiction even. Although starting late in life makes virtuoso status unattainable, it is still possible to reach a good standard. Mally, through lengthy practice, hard work and dogged determination, has managed to achieve a high level of competence and has become a well respected player. However, his constant struggle to maintain his skill makes his days as a beginner never seem far away. He is well able to recognise, and is very much aware of, the problems and difficulties facing beginners and novices. During the early days of learning a musical instrument, many budding musicians fall by the wayside. They soon tire of playing the same half dozen tunes over and over again and, because they are unable to find other suitable melodies to sustain their interest, they drop out. To prevent boredom getting the upper hand, it is necessary to quickly build up a reasonably sized repertoire. Mally has identified 101 relatively simple, but interesting, Irish tunes and presents them here, in graded order, to increase your chances of success. This book will help you quickly boost your repertoire and get you up and running in the Irish sessions in no time, giving you many hours of enjoyment in the process. The tune settings in this book are all ‘session friendly’, i.e. you can learn them exactly as written and know that you will have a perfectly acceptable version. However, it can be unwise to learn a tune from only one source and, when possible, it’s best, when learning a new tune, to pay heed to other books, recordings and live performances.  Books will only help you to learn the notes of a tune. To pick up the rhythm of Irish music you must devote a large amount of time listening to both recordings and live musicians. Of greatest importance, you must practise; the value of this book is directly proportional to the number of hours a day you spend practising. Chord arrangements are more or less as played on the soundtrack, but nevertheless, are only suggestions.  

Contents

All the Way To Galway Another Jig Will Do Anything for Jonjo? Ballydesmond Polka, The Barnacle Redowa, The Barney Brannigan Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms Bill Harte’s Jig Black Velvet Band, The Blackthorn Stick, The Boolavogue Boys of Bluehill Boys of Wexford, The Britches Full of Stitches, The Brosna Slide, The Buachaill On Eirne Bunratty Boys Butterfly, The Captain White Cockles and Mussels Dennis Enright’s Slide Dennis Murphy’s Polka Derry Boat, The Din Tarrant’s Polka Dingle Regatta Donegal Mazurka Down By the Sally Gardens Drops of Brandy Drowsy Maggie Egan’s Polka Enniskillen Dragoon, The Far From Home Fine Toast to Hewlett, A Finnegan’s Wake

Foggy Dew, The Foxhunters’ Jig Frost is all Over Green Grow the Rushes-O Harp That Once Through Tara’s Halls, The Harvest Home Hills of Tara, The I’ll Tell Me Ma Irish Washerwoman, The John Egan’s Polka John Ryan’s Polka Johnny Mickey Barry’s Polka Kathleen Hehir’s Slide Kelly, the Boy from Killan Kerry Polka Number 1, The Kerry Polka Number 2, The Kesh Jig, The Lakes of Sligo, The Lannigan’s Ball Leather Away the Wattle-O Leg of the Duck, The Leslie’s Hornpipe Little Diamond Madame Bonaparte Maggie in the Wood Magic Slipper, The Merrily Kissed the Quaker Mickey Chewing Bubble Gum Mountains of Mourne, The Muirsheen Durkin New Rigged Ship, The O’Connor’s Polka O’Donnell Abu Off She Goes

Óró ‘Sé Do Bheatha ‘Bhaile Planxty Fanny Power Planxty Irwin Portláirge Rakes of Kildare Rakes of Mallow Rattlin’ Bog Road to Lisdoonvarna, The Rocky Road to Dublin, The Rosin the Beau Saddle the Pony Saint Mary’s Polka Scartaglen Polka, The Scattery Island Slide, The Sean South of Garryowen Shoo the Donkey Si Bheag, Si Mhor Some Say the Devil’s Dead Sonny’s Mazurka South Wind, The Spancil Hill Spanish Lady Stack of Wheat, The Star Above the Garter, The Sweets of May, The Tenpenny Bit Tralee Gaol Tripping Upstairs Tureengarbh Glen Waxies’ Dargle, The Wearing of the Green, The Wild Colonial Boy, The Wild Rover, The