The Luck Penny jig

Also known as The Luckpenny, The Lucky Penny, Pingin Áḋúil.

There are 56 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The Luck Penny appears in 5 other tune collections.

The Luck Penny has been added to 35 tune sets.

The Luck Penny has been added to 222 tunebooks.

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Five settings

1
X: 1
T: The Luck Penny
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:BAG AFD|G2G FGA|BAG BdB|cAG Fdc|
BAG AFD|GBd ~g3|def gdB|1 cAF G2A:|2 cAF G2B||
|:d2g gfg|abg fga|bag agf|def g2a|
bag agf|g2g fd^c|def gdB|1 cAF G2B:|2 cA F GBc||
|:dBG GFG|DGB dBG|cA=F FEF|C=FA cBA|
dBG GBd|g2g fd^c|def gdB|1 cAF GBc:|2 cAF G2A||
2
X: 2
T: The Luck Penny
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
(B/c/)|dBG GFG|dBG GAB|cA=F FEF|cA=F FBc|dBG GFG|gag fdB|def gdB|
cAF G2 B/c/|dBG GFG|DGB DGB|cA=F FEF|C=FF A,FF|dBG GFG|gag fdB|de
f gdB|cAF G2||
3
X: 3
T: The Luck Penny
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
A|BAG AGF|DGG FGA|BAG B/c/dB|cAG FGA|
B2G AFD|GBd g3|fed gdB|cAF G2:|
|:B|dgg gfg|f/g/ag fga|bag agf|def g2a|
bgg agg|g3 fd^c|def gdB|cAF G2:|
B|dBG GFG|dBG GAB|cA=F =FE=F|cA=F =FAc|
dBG GBd|g3 fd^c|def gdB|cAF G2B|
dBG GFG|G,B,D GAB|cA=F =FE=F|A,C=F ABc|
dBG GBd|g3 fd^c|def gdB|cAF G2||
4
X: 4
T: The Luck Penny
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:BAG AFD|G2{A}G FGA|BAG BdB|cAG Fdc|
BAG AFD|GBd g~g2|fed gdB|1 cAF G2A:|2 cAF G2B||
d2g {a}gfg|abg fga|bag agf|def g2a|
bag agf|gag fd^c|def gdB|cAF G2B|
d2g {a}gfg|abg fga|bag agf|daf g2a|
bag agf|gag fdB|def gdB|cAF GBc||
dBG {A}GFG|dBG {F}GAB|cA=F {A}FEF|cA=F {A}FBc|
dBG {F}GBd|g~g2 fd^c|def gdB|cAF GBc|
dBG {A}GFG|DGB DGB|cA=F {A}FEF|C=FA C=FA|
dBG {F}GBd|g~g2 fd^c|def gdB|cAF G2||
# Added by alina .
5
X: 5
T: The Luck Penny
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:BAG AFD|~G3 FGA|BAG BdB|cAG FGA|
BAG AFD|GBd ~g3|def gdB|1 cAF G2A:|2 cAF GBc||
D2g gfg|a2g fga|bag agf|def g2a|
Bag afd|gag fed|def gdB|cAF GBc|
|:dBG GFG|dBG GAB|cA=F FEF|cA=F FBc|
dBG GBd|gag fed|def gdB|1 cAF GBc:|2 cAF G2A||

Thirteen comments

The Luck Penny

I got this tune from Clare concertina player, Dymphna O’Sullivan. I particularly like the F natural sequences in bars 3 and 4 of the third part of the tune which gives it a very distinctive flavour. In our local session we follow this with the two Pipe on the Hob jigs (both already posted on this site).

Luck Penny, The

Try this as a 3rd part. It’s very similar to the Breathnach 3, No. 14 version, given as An Duthracht, which is the same tune, except for the little dip to bottom A towards the end.

(B/c/)|dBG GFG|dBG GAB | cA=F FEF | cA=F FBc|dBG GFG|gag fdB |def gdB |
cAF G2 B/c/ |dBG GFG |DGB DGB|cA=F FEF |C=FF A,FF |dBG GFG |gag fdB |de
f gdB |cAF G2||

I think it’s a much more attractive setting.

The Luck Penny

On a historical note,the luck penny was (and maybe still is) an extra penny on the price agreed in horse fairs in Ireland.

The Luckpenny

Also to be found recorded on The London Lasses first album in a jig sandwich: Tenpenny Bit, The Luckpenny, Gallagher’s Frolics - track three - beautiful arrangement

The Luck Penny

I got this tune from my sister who got it from Brian Conway at Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend.

The Luck Penny, X:3

Taken from ‘A Fine Selection of Over 200 Irish Traditional Tunes for Sessions’, compiled by David Speers with a Forward by Matt Cranitch. Some nice variations from other settings in the third part.

The Luck Penny, X:4

This is the version played by John Whelan, which he taught over Zoom for his Tune Learning workshop on July 28, 2021.

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Re: The Luck Penny

Does anyone else think that in the standard setting of this tune, there are a few notes missing after the roll on the high ‘g’ in the antepenultimate bar of the first part?

Re: The Luck Penny

L‘esprit d’escalier – amended version of my comment above:

Does anyone else think that in the standard setting of this tune, there are a few notes – or indeed a whole bar – missing after the roll on the high ‘g’ in the antepenultimate bar of the first part?

Re: The Luck Penny

Not sure what you mean by the “standard setting.” Bannerman’s X:1 here reads as I’ve usually heard the tune, no missing notes.

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