This slip jig, called The Swaggering Jig, (also called ‘Give us a drink of water’) is often one of the first Irish slipjigs that I teach students. I have heard it said that the slipjig and the hopjig are the ‘true’ indigenous musical forms of Ireland; but I’ve not been able to confirm this, and in fact jigs (normal jigs that is, as in ‘double jigs) are referenced in ancient Ireland.

This slipjig, The Swaggering jig, is a fairly straightforward tune to play, once you wrap your head around the 9/8 rhythm. In other words, if we think of ‘bacon and sauceages’ (1-2-3 4-5-6) for jigs, we can think of ‘rashers of bacon and sauceages) (1-2-3 4-5-6 7-8-9) for slipjigs.

This tune, is also connected to a song, which uses a simplified version of the melody. The words can really help with understanding the rhythm and swing of this tune. The song is called Bellaghy Fair, (or sometime Bonlaghy Fair) and was collected in the 1930s in Derry by the song collector Sam Henry. It goes like this:

I went to the fair at Bonlaghy,
I bought a little wee pig,
I rolled it up in my pocket,
And it danced a swaggering jig.
Then it’s hi for the top o’ the heather,
And hi for the root of the sprig,
And hi for the bonny wee lassie,
That danced the Swaggering Jig.

I went to the fair at Bonlaghy,
I bought a wee slip of a pig,
And as I was passing the poorhouse,
I whistled the Swaggering Jig.
Then it’s hi for the cups and the saucers,
And hi for the butter and bread,
And hi for the bonny wee lassie,
That danced the Swaggering Jig.

As I being down by the poorhouse,
I whistled so loud and so shrill,
I made all the fairies to tremble,
That lived near McLoughrim Hill.
Then it’s Hi! for the cups and the saucers,
And hi for the butter and bread,
And hi for the bonny wee lassie,
That danced the Swaggering Jig.

Fiddle players, if you would like to take your fiddle playing to the next level, take a look at my online fiddle courses, including my free Irish fiddle course.

Farewell to Whalley Range is a popular slipjig by Michael McGoldrick, in F# minor. This is a slightly unusual key for fiddle tunes, so may take a little getting used to. But don’t worry – I’ll take you through the whole tune on the fiddle, phrase by phrase.

The name of this tune – Farewell to Whalley Range – comes from an area of Manchester, where McGoldrick had been living. He was moving away from the area, and wrote this tune as he was leaving, and so it got its name.

Although th

It’s a really fun tune to learn, and has become a very popular session tune.

Here’s a really fun Irish polka, called Riding on a Bale of Hay.

Sometimes also called ‘Riding on a Load of Hay’, this is a West Kerry polka. The renowned West Kerry fiddler Denis Murphy (1910-1974) was known to play it.

Dennis Murphy was born in Lisheen, Gneeveguilla, County Kerry. Both he and his sister Julia Clifford were taught fiddle by the extremely influential fiddle and fiddle teacher Pádraig O’Keeffe.

Denis moved to the United States but visited Ireland often, and moved back to Lisheen in 1965. He played and recorded extensively with Johnny O’Leary and Julia Clifford, and recorded lots of music for the radio and reordings. His light but driving bowing style has influenced many fiddle players.

The Star above the Garter, recorded with Julia Clifford, is a classic album of the Sliabh Luachra style.

Like many Irish tunes, Riding on a Bale of Hay may be an adaptation of a Scottish tune, the strathspey ‘Miss Ramsay of Barnton’.

It’s not really a beginner’s tune, as it has a couple of slightly tricky phrases, and one note (D sharp) that doesn’t crop up in a lot of fiddle tunes, sothis is an intermediate tutorial.

Don’t let that put you off though – Riding on a Bale of Hay is a great polka, and excellent Irish fiddle tune. Plus, as with any slightly trickier tune, there are some really useful bits of fiddle technique that you can practice here.

I’ll take you through the whole polka phrase by phrase so you can learn the tune on the fiddle. Then we can talk about more advanced elements that you can add in.

Fiddle players, if you would like to take your fiddle playing to the next level, take a look at my online fiddle courses, including my free Irish fiddle course.