The Donegal Tinker reel

This is a mighty tune taken from Cathal Hayden’s “Cathal Hayden” CD, first tune, track 4. The second tune on that track is the Dublin Reel. Together they rock. Donegal Tinker is listed as a Gmaj tune, but it may be a Dmix. Either way, the key signature works.

It sounds like a member of the Tinker family (Drunken, Jolly and Yellow).

So, what IS it about those tinker tunes??….they all rock. This one, in particular, has been a favourite of mine since I first started playing it last summer….It’s one of those big tunes that seem to have an epic sort of quality.

Dang, that’s a fine tune. Just added it to the old tunebook. Might try slapping it together with Cuillian Vallely’s “Singing Stream”. It has a similar energy.

Kerri, have a listen to track 4 at http://www.woodstockrecords.com/cathal_cd.html ! Damn fine playing, too…

ABCs for how a fine banjo and fiddle player at our session plays the thing:

X: 1
T: Donegal Tinker, The
N: (possibly from the Gort Session bootleg recordings)
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
d|d|dB cAGc|Addc AGEG |Addc AdcA|GEED CDEG |
Ad (3ddd fd (3ddd|Addc AGEG | Addc AdcA |GEED CDEG ||
AD (3DDD A,DDA|AGAB c2 Bc| ADDD A,CEG|AdcA {F}G4|
AD (3DDD A,DDA|AGAB c2 Bc| ADDD A,CEG|AdcA {F}G4||
d|d|d B c|c|c A |dAAA afga|d|d|d B c|c|c A |Bcef g2 fe|
{c}d|d|d B c|c|c A |dAAA afga|d|d|d B c|c|c A |Bcef gg fg ||
aadd adbd | aada dggd |aada-abad |cdef ggfg|
ad (3ddd adbd|adda-adge|abae gage |cdef gefe||

and let me tell you, that last part was no picnic to transcribe! 🙂

So not a picnic, in fact, that I left a bunch of miscellaneous junk in there. Sorry. It’s:

dddB cAGc|Addc AGEG |Addc AdcA|GEED CDEG |
Ad (3ddd fd (3ddd|Addc AGEG | Addc AdcA |GEED CDEG ||
AD (3DDD A,DDA|AGAB c2 Bc| ADDD A,CEG|AdcA {F}G4|
AD (3DDD A,DDA|AGAB c2 Bc| ADDD A,CEG|AdcA {F}G4||
dddB ccc A |dAAA afga|dddB cccA |Bcef gg fe|
{c}dddB ccc A |dAAA afga|dddB cccA |Bcef gg fg ||
aadd adbd | aada dggd |aada- abad |cdef ggfg|
ad (3ddd adbd|adda- adge|abae gage |cdef gefe||

Fiddle setting from the Cathal Hayden recording

X: 1
T: The Donegal Tinker
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmix
d3e cAGc|AddB cAGc|Addc AdcA|GEED CDEG|
Ad (3ddd fd (3ddd|adfd cAGc|Addc AdcA|GEED CDEG||
AD (3DDD AD (3DDD|ADAd cAGc|ADFA ~E3G|AdcA G3c|
AD (3DDD A,D (3DDD|ADAd cAGc|ADFA EDEG|AdcA GcAG||
Ad (3ddd BcAc|dA (3AAA afgf|Ad~d2 ~c3A|cdef g2fe|
d2 (3ddd BcAc|dA (3AAA afgf|Adde ~c3A|cdef g2bg||
ad (3ddd adbd|ad (3ddd adgd|ad (3ddd adfd|^cdef g2fe|
ad (3ddd bd (3ddd |ad (3ddd adfg|abaf gfed|^cdef gefe||

Some corrections on the Cathal Hayden version:

X: 1
T: The Donegal Tinker
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmix
d3d cAGc|AddB cAGc|Addc AdcA|GEED CDEG|
Ad (3ddd fd (3ddd|adfd cAGc|Addc AdcA|GEED CDEG||
AD (3DDD A,D (3DDD|ADAd cAGc|ADFA ~E3G|AdcA G2cG|
AD (3DDD A,D (3DDD|ADAd cAGc|ADFA EDEG|AdcA GcAG||
Ad (3ddd c2Bc|dA (3AAA afgf|Ad~d2 ~c3A|(3Bcd ef g2fe|
d3 d c2Ac|dA (3AAA afgf|Ad (3ddd ~c3A|(3Bcd ef g2fg||
ad (3ddd adbd|ad (3ddd adgd|ad (3ddd ^cdef|g2fg ad 3ddd|
bd (3ddd adfg|a2 fg abaf|gfed ^cdef g2fe||

Sorry. I was correcting Dr. Dow’s version. The original post was almost identical…Wasn’t paying attention…never mind!

Hardly corrections. The fiddle and banjo settings are different and of course it’s played very differently each time through.

By the way the barlines in your last part are completely wrong and you’ve missed 2 whole beats out. You’ve also got a bar of 6/4 in there. In future, if you’re going to make corrections, please take the time to listen and do it properly.

X: 1
T: Donegal Tinker, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|:d3B cAGc|AddB cAGc |Addc AdcA|GEED E3G |
Ad d2 fd d2|AdFd cAGc | Addc AdcA |GEED E3G ||
|:AD D2 AD D2|ADAd cAGc| ADFA E3G|AdcA G3B|
AD D2 AD D2 |ADAd cAGc| ADFA E3G|AdcA GcAG ||
|:Ad d2 c2 Ac |dA A2 Afgf|dA A2 c3A |(3Bcd ef g2 fg|
d3e BcAc|dA A2 Afgf|dA A2 c3A|(3Bcd ef g2 fg||
|:ad d2 AdBd |ad d2 AdGd|ad d2 Adgd|(3B^cd ef g2 fg|
ad d2 Bd d2 |adfg adfg |abaf gfed |(3B^cd ef gefe||

Here’s a master playing it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC_25RJcs1Y

play video

Liz Carroll’s version in short
https://youtu.be/5qGqsCZyguc

play video