The Drunken Sailor's

hornpipe

Key signature: Gdorian

Submitted on February 20th 2002 by radriano.

This tune has been added to 231 tunebooks.

Also known as The Drunken Sailor, Galway Bay, The Galway Bay , The Tipsy Sailor.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Treasury Of Irish Song by Various Artists
• Aisling Yoshua (Joshua's Dream) by Johnny Óg Connolly
• An Exciting Session With One Of Ireland's Leading Traditional Fiddlers by Tommy Peoples
• Are You Willing? by Tabache
• Aye by Skelpaig
• Boxed by Anders Trabjerg
• Brian Kelly by Brian Kelly
• Bridging The Gap by Mick Mulvey
• Caught In The Moment by The Island Girls
• Celtic Connections - The Album by Various Artists
• Celtic Dream by Oisin
• Chapter 8 by The Kilfenora Ceili Band
• Classic Ceili Bands by Various Artists
• Concertina Workshop by Alistair Anderson
• Consider The Source by Brian Conway
• Conversation At The Crosses by Pat O'Connor And Eoghan O'Sullivan
• Down The Ivory Stairs by Padraic O'Reilly
• Flight 2 by Wild Geese
• Handed Down by Cathal Hayden
• Hidden Ground by Paddy Glackin, Jolyon Jackson
• Irish Dances by Jimmy Power
• Irish Fiddle Solos by Pete Cooper
• It's A Hard Road To Travel by Andy McGann And Paul Brady
• Jerry Holland by Jerry Holland
• Joe Can't's Reel by Gwendal
• John Bowe And Mary Conroy by John Bowe
• Kerry's Delight by Tom Fleming
• Kerry's Own Paddy Cronin by Paddy Cronin
• Lost In The Loop by Liz Carroll
• Master Irish Fiddle Player by Tommy Peoples
• Michael Flatley by Michael Flatley
• Mo Chairdin by Paul Brock
• Morga by Morga
• Morning Dew by King's Galliard
• Music Of A Champion by Brendan McGlinchey
• On Kielder Side by Kathryn Tickell
• One More... by Caa A Dram
• P.J. Hernon by P.J. And Marcus Hernon
• Providence by Providence
• Rakish Paddies by Rapalje
• Sail Óg Rua by Dolores Keane And John Faulkner
• Selection Box by Conor McCarthy And Alph Duggan
• Strayaway by Caoimhín Vallely
• Strayaway by Caoimhin Vallely
• Taking Note by Meitheal Cheoil
• The Big Day In by Simon Thoumire And David Milligan
• The Fiddle Music Of Donegal - Volume One by Various Artists
• The Fire Aflame by Keane, Molloy, O'Flynn
• The Horse's Tail by Zoe Conway
• The House by Dennis Botzer
• The Irish Concertina by Noel Hill
• The Irish Girl by Robin Bullock And Michel Sikiotakis
• The Liffey Banks by Tommy Potts
• The More That's Said The Less The Better by Craobh Rua
• The Pure Box by Colin Nea
• The Rare Stuff by The Rare Stuff
• The Rough Guide To Irish Music by Various Artists
• The Singing Kettle by Chulrua
• The Well Tempered Bow by Liz And Yvonne Kane
• The World Turned Upside Down by Patti O'Doors
• Tone Roads by Wild Asparagus
• Tony O'Connell And Andy Morrow by Tony O'Connell And Andy Morrow
• Traditional Irish Music From Co. Longford by Peter Carberry
• Traditional Irish Music From County Clare by Eamon Cotter
• Traditional Irish Music On Flute And Tin Whistle by Laurence Nugent
• Traditional Music Of Ireland by Joe Burke
• Traditional Music Of Ireland by Paddy Carty And Conor Tully
• Traditional Music Of Ireland And The Bucks Of Oranmore by Joe Burke And Charlie Lennon
• Under The Moon by Martin Hayes
• Winds Of Change by Geraldine MacGowan And Anne Conroy
• Zoe Conway Live DVD by Zoe Conway

X: 1
T: Drunken Sailor's, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: Gdor
(3DE^F|G3 A GABc|dcBA GFDE|F2FG FGAB|cAFA dcBA|
G3 A GABc|dcBA GFDE|F2f2dcBA|B2G2G2:|
|:GA|B2Bc Bcde|fcAB cAFB|AFcF dFcF|AFcF dcBA|
B2BA Bcde|fcAB cAFA|G2gf dcBA|B2G2G2:|
|:Bd|g3^f ~g2fg|agfe d3 e|fcgc acgc|fcgc agfe|
d2g2~g2^ fg|agfe d2c2|dfeg (3fed cA|B2G2G2:|
|:BF|GBdB GdBd|FcAc FcAc|GBdB GBdB|cBAG FGAF|
GBdB GBdB|FAcA FGAc|dfeg (3fed cA|B2G2G2:|
|:Bd|gd (3gab gd (3gab|fcfa fcfa|gdgb gcgb|fdcA dBcA|
BGBd AFAc|BABd c=Bc_e|dfeg (3fed cA|B2G2G2:|

Brendan McGlinchey tunes

Micheleq requested some McGlinchey tunes. These are two of my favorites.

# Posted on February 20th 2002 by radriano

The Drunken Sailor

What a delight it is to find this tune posted here. It is a great great tune, one that i've only heard once started in a session (by Seamus Connoly no less). I have never started this tune myself given it's length and the fact that no one I know has mastered it. There is a great recording of The Drunken Sailor on Larry Nugent's first CD, the details of which I have posted already on this site. However, the cross reference hasn't registered because of the incidentally differenct listing of the tune's name. (Jeremy, can this be fixed? Thanks!)

Whistle players should note that this tune is usually played on a C whistle.

# Posted on February 26th 2002 by Brendan

The Drunken Sailor

What a delight it is to find this tune posted here. It is a great great tune, one that i've only heard once started in a session (by Seamus Connoly no less). I have never started this tune myself given it's length and the fact that no one I know has mastered it. There is a great recording of The Drunken Sailor on Larry Nugent's first CD, the details of which I have posted already on this site. However, the cross reference hasn't registered because of the incidentally differenct listing of the tune's name. (Jeremy, can this be fixed? Thanks!)

Whistle players should note that this tune is usually played on a C whistle.

# Posted on February 26th 2002 by Brendan

Cross reference fixed

hey, i just figured out how to fix the cross reference by subitting submitting the alternate name in response to the "Do you know the tune by another name" question. (I know, they call my sherlock.) And lo and behold, there is another recording of The Drunken Sailor on 'The Fire Aflame' by Keane, Molloy, O'Flynn. This site is *so* awesome.

# Posted on February 26th 2002 by Brendan

What a Great Tune

This is one of my current favorites. This is the only place I have been able to fine it. Noel Hill has a GREAT recording of it on his CD The Irish Concertina. He plays it with a concertina that is piched differently so you have to transpose to get his tuning. Anyhow, its wonderful to have found it here.

# Posted on November 7th 2002 by DanielB

Sometimes played with a 6th part

Also played on one of Tommy Peoples' earlier albums (can't remember the name, sorry). Sixth part goes

DGAd DGAd| DFAc DFAc| DGAd DGAd| cBAG E/2F/2GAG...
Then repeat and end w/the same ending as the fifth part.

# Posted on April 22nd 2003 by pchaffee

Kane Sisters version

Here's how Yvonne and Liz Kane play it on their cd, the Well Tempered Bow.

X:1
T:Galway Bay
S: Kane Sisters, The Well Tempered Bow
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:G minor
GA | B3 c dcdg | {a}g2 dg ga (3bag | fdbg fdcd | BAGA GFD2 |
| G3 A B3G | FCFG AGF{GF}D | GABc dcBA | (3BcB G2 G3A |
| BABc dcdg | {a}g2 dg ga (3bag | fdbg fdcd | BAGA GFD2 |
| DFGA BABG | FCFG AGF {GF}D | GABc dcBA | (3BcB G2 G3 g ||
| gfdf gabg | gfde dBGA | BFBc df (3=efg | fcdB AGFA |
| BGdB AFcA | BfdB Acfc | dfga bagf | d2 g2 g3 g :||
final ending: | dfga bagf | dcBA G4 ||

# Posted on February 18th 2004 by Will Harmon

But I doubt this is a McGlinchey tune. It's in O'Neill's, predating Mr. McGlinchey by a few decades.

# Posted on March 7th 2004 by Will Harmon

McGlinchey & The Sailor

Right, Will - it's much a much older than McGlinchey, but he did record it on an LP for the Belfast Outlet label, sometime in the 70s.
A testing piece on any instrument.

# Posted on March 7th 2004 by Kenny

Hmm (...he interjected almost exactly 2 years later) I don't see the similarity with the tune you posted Will, apart from maybe the key and genre of tune.

# Posted on March 8th 2006 by Dr. Dow

Cathal Hayden

Cathal Hayden's version on Handed Down is banjo playing at its best. My favourite banjo piece.

# Posted on March 18th 2006 by Silver

Pipes/Whistle Friendly Version

X: 1
T: The Drunken Sailor
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
|:A|EAAG ABcd|edcB AGEF|G3F GABc|dBGB edcB|
AE E2 ABcd|edcB AGEF|G2 ga gedB|cABG A2 :|
|:B|c3B cdef|gdBc dBGc|(3BAG dG eGdG|(3BAG dG edcB|
c3B cdef|gdBc dBGB|A2 c'a gedB|cABG A3 :|
|:d|eaag a2 ga|bagf e3d|edad bdad|edad bagf|
eaag a2 ga|bagf e3d|(3efg df gedB|cABG A3 :|
|:Acec Acec|GBdB GBdB|Acec Acec|e2 e=f edcB|
Acec Acec|d2 BG dgBd|(3efg df gedB|cABG A4 :|
|: (3abc' ae (3abc' ae|(3gab gd (3gab gd| (3abc' ae (3abc' aeef|gedB ecdB|
cBcB BABG|cBce dGBd|(3efg fa gedB|cABG A4 :|
|:EAcA EAcA|DGBG DGBG|EAcA EAcd|edcB cBAG|
EAcA EAcA|d2 BG DGBG|(3efg df gedB|cABG A4 :|

# Posted on February 9th 2007 by JACKB

Tipsy Sailor (reel/hornpipe)

A Great Tune....
I first found this on Alistair Andersons LP/book tutor for the English Concertina. The notes say that AA learnt it from Nic Jones who had it from an Irish button box player in a London Pub.
AA plays it as a reel. I later found it on a vinyl from a group called Patti O'Doors (!) who say that they learnt it from Jim O' Doyle of Durham who learnt it from AA who learnt it from etc.... as above!
AA's tutor has now been re-issued on CD (hurrah!) by Free Reed. I'll try and get round to putting it in the recordings database. Meanwhile, here's a vanilla rendering of the AA reel version (ie minus ornaments).
(ps AA puts this in the tutor book with a 2 flat key sig resolving to G, whatever that is, but that's not what he plays - so I think that's a typo)

X:1
T:The Tipsy Sailor (Alistair Anderson EC tutor)
M:4/4
R:Reel
K:Gdor
DGGF GABc | dcBA GFDE | F2 FE FGAB | cAFA dcBA |
GDB,D GABc |dcBA GFDE | F2 fe dcBA | ABGG G4 :|
ABGA Bcde | fdBd cBAG | F2 cF dFcF | F2 cF dFcF |
ABGA Bcde | fdBd cBAG | G2 gf dcBA | ABGG G4 :|
gdg/a/b gdg/a/b | fcf/g/a fcf/g/a | gdg/a/b gdg/a/b | fdcA ddcA |
B4 A4 | B4 c4 | df (3efg fdcA | ABGG G4 :|
DGAd DGAd |DFAc DFAc |DGAd DGAd | c2 AF CFAc |
GBdB GBdB |c2 AF CFAc | df (3efg fdcA | BG (3AGF G4 :|

# Posted on April 4th 2009 by spindizzy

DrunkenSailor

Heard Liz Carroll play this last night in Manchester - magic (but I wish the audience had been quieter!)
It's on her Lost in the Loop Album.

# Posted on April 28th 2011 by spindizzy