Tatter Jack Walsh

This popular jig was requested about 7 weeks ago. Finbar Furey recorded it years ago, well before his "When You Were Sweet Sixteen" days, (and I don't think he gets the credit he should as a traditional musician these days).
I heard Tim Lyons sing a wonderful song to this tune when he was a member of "De Danann".It was called "The Woman Who Robbed Me The Price Of My Pig". To get some idea of the language involved, try singing this last 4 lines to the 2nd part of the tune.

"Sincerely I swear, and I'm swearing sincere,
A week will go by, or a month or a year,
Upon this base action I'll have satisfaction
All on the transaction that cost me my pig ! "

I love it ! Larry Nugent recorded a version of this on his last CD, which sounds as though he has put it in D minor rather than major,and I heard "Dervish" play another very different version on radio two weeks ago.

# Posted on May 5th 2003 by Kenny

Finbar Furey

I think Finbar is one of the very few great pipers of his generation and important link to traditional piping. Many of the recorded tracks with his brothers and Davey Arthur are not at all to my taste either. But on many records there are one or two grat pipe tunes, too. I think twenty years ago it was necessary to that kind of ballads for the irish-american market to earn enough money to survive....

# Posted on May 5th 2003 by swisspiper

Finbar Furey again

Oh, I forgot to mention Finbar is tthe key person besides Bernard Overton in the invenion of the low whistle - and that changed the face of irish music for ever !

# Posted on May 5th 2003 by swisspiper

Right Key?

I am curious, Is this supposed to be in D. My head might be cloudy but should the C# be in the key signature? Set me straight please.

Mark

# Posted on May 6th 2003 by Mark Cordova

Tatter Jack Walsh

1000 apologies ! I meant to put this in as in D mixolydian, which I think is correct. Sounded correct in this mode when I checked it on"ABC", but I stupidly posted it as in D major. The "dots" for the tune are correct if you ignore the c# in the signature and play them as naturals. If it's easier, Jeremy, delete the tune and I'll re-submit it. As penance, I promise not to listen to Harry Bradley for a week.

# Posted on May 6th 2003 by Kenny

Second thoughts

.......err, would 24 hours be enough?

# Posted on May 6th 2003 by Kenny

I like it also in Dmaj, with all the C #.

# Posted on May 7th 2003 by gian marco

I prefer it in Dmaj!

# Posted on May 7th 2003 by gian marco

Tatter Jack Walsh (jig)

T:Tatter Jack Walsh
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:Laurence Nugent
R:jig
Z:g.m.p
K:DDor
e|fAd ded|^cAB ^c3|d^cA GFG|A2d efg|
fAd ded|^cAB ^c3|d^cA GFG|Add d2:||:A|
dfa afa|dfa afa|gef g2a|gef g3|
af/e/d ded|^cAB ^c3|d^cA GFG|Add d2:|

# Posted on June 3rd 2003 by gian marco

The Dean's Pamphlet

Rita Connolly sings a song called The Dean's Pamphet (with Liam O'Flynn on pipes) set to the tune of Tatter Jack Walsh. It is on O'Flynn's album: "Out To An Other Side". The lyrics are taken from Jonathan Swifts 1720 writings on boycotting imported English fabrics in favor of domestic Irish fabrics. Here are the lyrics if anyone is interested:

The Dean's Pamphlet

Brocades and damasks and tabbies and gauzes
Are by Robert Ballantine lately brought over.
With forty things more now hear what the law says
Who wear or not wear them is not the King's law.
Though a printer and dean seditiously mean
Our true Irish hearts from old England to wean.
We'll buy English silks for our wives and our daughters
In spite of his deanship and journeyman Waters.

Whoever our trading with England would hinder
To enflame both the nations does plainly conspire.
Because Irish linen will soon turn to tinder
And wool it is greasy and quickly takes fire.
Therefore I assure ye, our noble grand jury
On seeing the dean('s) book, we're in a great fury.
They would buy English silks for their wives and their daughters
In spite of his deanship and journeyman Waters.

The qu.... ____ Waters who always is sinning
Before callin' oh so oft has been called
Henceforth we shall print neither pamphlet or linen
If swearing can't do it, they'll be swingeingly mauled
And as for the dean, you know who I mean
If the printer would bleach him he'd scarced come off clean
Then we'll buy English silks for our wives and our daughters
In spite of his deanship and journeyman Waters.

# Posted on June 2nd 2004 by KatieMc

I remember Sonja O'Brien in Kilfenora playing the second part like this:

dfa dfa|dfa agf|~g3 ged|cde ~g3|...

It's more pipey and fun to play.

# Posted on October 25th 2004 by slainte

The very funny song King Lear is also set to this tune. You can find that on the album It's No Secret, featuring Hammy Hamilton, Séamus Creagh, and Con Ó Drisceoil.

# Posted on April 24th 2005 by Crysania

Father Jack Walsh

Dervish played this in concert recently, pretty much as recorded on their Spirit cd. Goes as follies:

X: 1
T: Father Jack Walsh
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
D: Spirit, Dervish
K: D dor
~f3 ded|cAB ~c2 A|dcA ~G3|Add efg|
~f3 ded|cAB ~c2 A|dcA ~G3|1 Ad^c dag:|2 Ad^c dBA||
dfa dfa|dfa agf|~g3 ged|^cde ~g3|
afd fed|cAB ~c2 A|dcA ~G3|1 Ad^c dBA:|Ad^c dag||

# Posted on October 14th 2005 by Miss Lonelyhearts

Oops...meant that to be in Dmix.

# Posted on October 17th 2005 by Miss Lonelyhearts

One chap out of the Wrenboys did a song to this tune very well. It involved some guy called Paddy McCarthy I think.

# Posted on April 11th 2006 by 52Paddy

What does "Tatter" mean. Or should I say what does An T-Athair mean?

# Posted on May 11th 2006 by Cammy

As far as I know, it means "Father", as in priest.

# Posted on May 11th 2006 by Kenny

Recorded by the Chieftains

I first heard this tune on a live Chieftains recording, An Irish Evening, I think it's part of a medly on track 8, took me the longest time to find the name of this tune. They do a really nice treatment of it though with just bodhran and whistle. It was kind of a surprise to realize the Dervish had the same tune on Spirit, with a slight variation in the B part. I've played it at my session a couple of times following Lilting Banshee. The tune usually gets a strong positive response, and I find that like Sligo Maid, it's one of those tunes that seems to follow almost anything well.

# Posted on October 18th 2006 by tedsoulos

Howie MacDonald plays Tatter Jack Walsh with the A part made of two identical halves so it becomes like a four bar jig.
Like so:
X: 1
K: Dmix
fe|:d2e fed|cAB c2d|cAF GFG|Add dfe|
d2e fed|cAB c2d|cAF GFG|[1 Add dfe:|[2 Add d2A|
|:dfa afd|dfa a3|ceg gec|ceg geg|
fdf e^ce|dAB c2d|cAF GFG|[1 Add d2A:|[2 Add d||

# Posted on March 12th 2007 by DonaldK

Tatter Jack Walsh

The NE England band Cuig recorded that song about the pig on their album "Prospect".

# Posted on June 21st 2007 by nicholas

Key signature should be G (D Mix)

Right? Can someone fix this?

# Posted on September 15th 2007 by joebowbeer

Key signature (cont'd)

I hear from Alan Ng at irishtune.info that this is a piping tune and that the pipe C is a little below C#, placing this tune in the gray area between D Maj and D Mix.

# Posted on September 15th 2007 by joebowbeer

The Dean's Pamphlet

With a bit of tidying up, I'd suggest the words run

Brocades, and damasks, and tabbies, and gauzes,
Are, by Robert Ballantine, lately brought over,
With forty things more: now hear what the law says,
Whoe'er will not wear them has not the king's love.
Though printer and Dean,
Seditiously mean,
Our true Irish hearts from Old England to wean,
We will buy English silks for our wives and our daughters,
In spite of his deanship and journeyman Waters.

Whoever our trading with England would hinder,
To inflame both the nations doth plainly conspire,
Because Irish linen will soon turn to tinder,
And wool it is greasy, and quickly takes fire.
Therefore, I assure you
Our noble grand jury,
When they saw the Dean's book, they were in a great fury;
They would buy English silks for their wives and their daughters,
In spite of his deanship and journeyman Waters.

This wicked rogue Waters, who always is sinning,
And before "coram nobis" so oft has been call'd,
Henceforward shall print neither pamphlets nor linen,
And if swearing can do't shall be swingingly maul'd:
And as for the Dean,
You know whom I mean,
If the printer will ‘peach him, he'll scarce come off clean.
Then we'll buy English silks for our wives and our daughters,
In spite of his deanship and journeyman Waters.

# Posted on January 19th 2009 by TomB-R

O'Flynn's Version

X: 1
T: Tatter Jack Walsh
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmix
|:GA|BAB GBg|fde =f2d|g3 gdB|cBc Adc|
BAB GBg|fde =f2d|gfd cBc|dGF G3:||
|:D|GBd dBG|GBd d2B|cAB cAG|FGA cdc|
BAB GBg|fde =f2d|gfd cBc|dGF G3:||

# Posted on May 5th 2009 by JACKB