Top-20 lists of the most popular Irish session tunes worldwide, based on how many members of irishtune.info currently play a tune.
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The numbers in parentheses above tell you how many total "session" tunes there are of that type (i.e., a tune played by at least one member).
| Rank | Members who play this tune | Explanation Rhythm | Explanation Titles used for this tune (and other notes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 – Tune Info | JigD | Out on the Ocean / Out in the Ocean / Over the Sea / Portroe Jig / Portroe / O'Connell's Jig on Top of Mount Everest / Split the Whisker / The Banks of Ahasnagh / Banks of Ahasnagh / Crossing the Bogs / Mick Mulcahy's / Tierney's Jig / A Clare Jig (for 3rd figure of The West Kerry Set on JRSLCB 2) (also in A) |
| 2 | 15 – Tune Info | JigD | Lilting Banshee, The / The Banshee / The Wailing Banshee / Ballinasloe Fair / The Sligo Jig / The Miller of Glanmire / Miller of Glenmire / John Conroy's Jig / Ryan's Favourite / Ryan's Favorite (compare The Killaloe Boat / Killaloe Boats included here) |
| 3 | 15 – Tune Info | JigD | Blarney Pilgrim, The / The Parish Girl / Jackson's Rambles / Paddy O'Brien's / Paddy O'Briens |
| 4 | 15 – Tune Info | Reel | Mountain Road, The (3rd in set The Worlds End on Drv 4; follows The Devils of Dublin on track 7 of MtRd; for 2nd figure of Caledonian Set on JRSLCB 2; 2nd in set Mountain Road on MSCB; 1st in set Mountain Rambler on MSHtn 4) (also with up to 6 parts, also with parts doubled, also in G or F) (composed by Michael Gorman) |
| 5 | 14 – Tune Info | Hpipe | Off to California / The Humours of California / Sweet Flowers of Milltown / The Sweet Flowers of Miltown / Bláthanna Cumhra Bhaile an Mhuilinn / Whiskey Hornpipe / The Whiskey Hornpipe / Fireman's Reel (3rd in set Up the Hill of Down on FBros) (also in A or D, also as schottische) (compare 1st part with 1st part of hornpipe Whiskey You're the Devil! #3691 and 1st part of reel Tom Morrison's #1924) |
| 6 | 14 – Tune Info | Reel | Musical Priest, The / Musical Priest / An Sagart Ceolmhar / The Buckeen / Lord Kelly's Reel / The New Bridge of Erin (also in A or G; also with 2 extra parts) |
| 7 | 14 – Tune Info | JigD | Kesh Jig, The / The Kesh / Keash / The Kincora Jig / The Kincora / The Castle Jig / Little Boy Ted in the Hay / Kerrigan's / The Mountaineer's March (for 3rd figure of The West Kerry Set on JRSLCB 2) (also in C) (compare The Mountaineers' March and The Spring Well included here from O'Neill books, compare 1st part with 1st part of Primrose Vale #1093, with 1st part of Sean Coughlan's Kesh #2554, and with 2nd part of #3663) |
| 8 | 14 – Tune Info | JigD | Banish Misfortune / The Bag of Meal / The Little Bag of Meal / The Humours of Mullinafauna / The Humors of Mullinafauna / Humors of Mullinafauna / The Shady Groves of Piedmont / The Shady Groves of Peamount / Nancy Hines / Máire Ní Eidhinn / Máire Ni Éidhin / Round the Cart House / Ruaig an Mí-ádh / The Parish Girl / George Whelan's Jig (also singled, also without 3rd part, also as song) (compare Nancy Hynes #3088) |
| 9 | 14 – Tune Info | JigD | Garrett Barry's / Garrett Barry's Jig / Garret Barry's / Garret Barry's Jig / Rogha Ghearóid De Barra / Gearóid de Barra / Port Garrett Barry / Tune the Fiddle / The Ladies' Fancy / The Pipe on the Hob (mislabeled on MRaf as Story about My Father's Uilleann Pipes) (also in D minor and also as hornpipe on Ev) (compare Sergeant Early's Jig #2353) |
| 10 | 14 – Tune Info | JigD | Jimmy Ward's / Jimmy Wards J. G. / Jimmy Wards / Jimmy Ward's Fancy / Port Shéamuis Mhic a Bháird / Ward's Favourite / Ward's Jig / Jim Ward's / Jim Ward's Jig / Jim Wards / The Clare Jig / Clare / Farrell's Fancy (3rd in set The Kilfenora Set on JCt 5; 2nd in set Aoibhneas on Lu 3) (composed by Jimmy Ward?) |
| 11 | 13 – Tune Info | Reel | Drowsy Maggie / Drowsie Maggie / Drowsey Maggie (including Donegal setting) (also in A, also with a 3rd part composed by Joe Cooley) (compare 2nd part with 2nd part of John-Joe Gannon's #4512) |
| 12 | 13 – Tune Info | Reel | Silver Spear, The / Old Silver Spear / The Silver Tip / Sliabh Bána / The Top of the Cliff / Miss Lane's Fancy / The New Mown Meadows / New Mown Meadows / Anderson's (2nd in set Miss McClouds Reels on ESL 1, which in turn is mislabeled as The Belburry Hills; 3rd in set The Silver Spire on ADB; for 3rd figure of Connemara Set on JRSLCB 2) (also in G) (compare The New-Mown Meadows #1409) |
| 13 | 13 – Tune Info | Reel | Cooley's / Cooley's Reel / Joe Cooley's Reel / Joe Cooley's / Cooleys / Luttrell's Pass / The Tulla Reel / Ríl na Tulaí (for 7th figure of Taille Mhara Jig Set on MISD 7; 3rd in set The Cooley Set on MOCCH 1) (also in D Minor; also with a 3rd part on MGm, where this tune is presented as a Michael Gorman composition named Put the Cake in the Dresser) (composed by Joe Mills?) |
| 14 | 12 – Tune Info | Reel | Fermoy Lasses, The / Fermoy Lasses / The Fermoy Lassies / Girrseachaí Fhearmuí / The Wexford Reel / The Humours of Mackin / The Connacht Ranger / Connacht Ranger (also singled) |
| 15 | 12 – Tune Info | JigD | Rambling Pitchfork, The / Rambling Pitchfork / An Píce Fánach / The Fisherman's Widow / Roland's Return / Ógánaigh na Naprún / The Friendly Neighbour / Baxter's Big (for 2nd figure of Taille Mhara Jig Set on MISD 7; 1st in set The Ravine on KCB 6) (also in D Minor) (as single jig: Lambert's Jig) |
| 16 | 12 – Tune Info | JigD | Connaughtman's Rambles, The / The Connaught Man's Rambles / Connaught Man's Rambles / The Connachtman's Rambles / Connaughtman's Ramble / Connaght Man's Ramble / Spaisteoireacht an Chonnachtaigh / Gathering Dillisk / Bold Doherty / The Duck from Drummuck / Mickey the Moulder (for 2nd figure of Taille Mhara Jig Set on MISD 7) |
| 17 | 12 – Tune Info | JigD | Joy of My Life, The / The Joys of Youth / Joy in My Life / The Joys of Life / The Joys of Love / Donnybrook Fair / The Donneybrook Fair / Humours of Donnybrook / The Boys from the Lough / A Man in Himself like Oliver's Bull / The Corovoth Jig / Oh! Irishmen Never Forget / Our Own Little Isle (for dance The Bridge of Athlone in book MM) (compare settings included here of Our Own Little Isle / Oh! Irishmen Never Forget / Corovoth Jig and compare 1st part with 1st part of Munster Jig #801) |
| 18 | 12 – Tune Info | Reel | Maid behind the Bar, The / The Barmaid / The Green Mountain / Judy's Reel / The Judy Reel / Little Judy / Haymaker (2nd in set Kitty O'Shea on TC; for 5th figure of Victoria Jig Set on MISD 6; for 1st figure of Connemara Set on JRSLCB 2) (compare with 3rd part of French-Canadian reel Snoring Mrs. Gobeil / La Ronfleuse Gobeil in FF, included here, and compare The Green Mountain #2336) |
| 19 | 12 – Tune Info | Reel | Bird in the Bush, The / Bird in the Bush / The Bird on the Bush / The Bird in the Tree / Bird in the Tree / The Bird on the Tree / An tÉan ar an gCrann / An tÉan ar an gCraobh / Birds in the Tree / The Two Birds in the Tree (also in A as hornpipe) |
| 20 | 12 – Tune Info | Reel | Earl's Chair, The / Earl's Chair / Cathaoir an Iarla / Down between the Two Derryoobers (in set Lily of the West on MSHtn 4) (composed by Patrick "Pakie" or "Patto" Moloney) |
About the sort order: Tunes that are tied with the same number of people playing them are then ranked with the oldest tunes first, based on the post-1900 publication histories of the tune, as documented in irishtune.info.
Caveat: The accuracy of these "session" statistics depend on how carefully each contributor was about entering his or her repertoire. There are known cases when users have hastily grabbed at a wrong tune only because it happens to have the same title as the intended tune, without bothering to read more closely. This behavior should only have a minor effect on these "most popular" lists.