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The Derry hornpipe

Also known as Londonderry, The Londonderry.

There are 75 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with The Harvest Home (lots of times), The Liverpool (lots of times), The Belfast (a few times), Dunphy’s (a few times) and Fisher’s (a few times).

The Derry has been added to 2 tune sets.

The Derry has been added to 244 tunebooks.

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Two settings

X: 1
T: The Derry
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:AG|F2Ad fdAF|G2Bd gdBG|F2Ad fdAF|E2GB ecAG|
F2Ad fdAF|G2Bd g2ag|fafd Bgec|d2 f2 d2:|
|:fg|a2fd Adfa|g2ec Aceg|a2fd Adgf|(3efd (3cdB A2fg|
a2fd Adfa|gece g2ag|fafd Bgec|d2 f2 d2:|
|:AG|(3FED AD BDAD|dcdf ecAG|(3FED AD BDAD|EGFA GBAG|
(3FED AD BDAC|dcdf eceg|(3fgf df gece|df (3edc d2:|
|:(3efg|a^gab afdf|gfga gece|a^gab afdf|(3efd (3cdB A2 (3efg|
a^gab afdf|gfef gbag|(3fgf df gece|df (3edc d2:|
|:fg|(3aaa fd Adfd|(3aaa ec Acec|fdge afbg| ecdB A2 fg|
(3aaa fd Adfd|(3ggg ec A2ag|fdAF Egec|d2 f2 d2:|
|:FG|AFAd fedc|BGBe gfed|cAce agfe|fcdB A2 FG|
AFAd fedc|BGBd g2ag|fafd Bgec|d2 f2 d2:|
X: 2
T: The Derry
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|: ~F2 Ad fdAF | ~G2 Bd gdBG | ~F2 Ad fdAF | ~E2 cd ecAG |
~F2 Ad fdAF |~G2 Bd g2 .ag | (3.f.g.f df eAce |1d3 cd BAG :|2d3 cd efg |]
|: .a2 fd Adfa| .g2 ec A2 (3.e.f.g | .a2 fd Aggf | (3.e.f.e (3.d.cB A2 (3.e.f.g |
a2 fd Adfa| gfef gbag| (3.f.g.f df eAce |1d3 cd efg :|2d3 cd BAF |]
|: ~D2 AD BDAD | dcdf ecAF | ~D2 AD BDAD | (3.E.F.G (3.F.G.A GBAF |
~D2 AD BDAD | dcdf ecAg | fAdf eAce |1d3 cd BAF :|2d3 cd efg |]
|: ~a3 b afdf | ~g3 a gece | ~a3 b afdf | e2 (3.d.cB A2 (3.e.f.g |
~a3 b afdf | gfef g2 ag | (3.f.g.f df eAce |1d3 cd efg :|2d3 cd EFG |]
|: .A2 .Ad (3..g.f.e dA | BGBd gfed | cAcd edcd | (3.g.f.e (3.d.cB A2 FG |
AFAd (3.g.f.e dA | BGBd g2 ag | (3.f.g.f df eAce | d3 cd EFG :|]

Sixteen comments

The Derry Hornpipe

I was surprised to see that this wasn’t in thesession database. There are - as ever - oodles of versions of The Derry Hornpipe knocking about. The Tipperary Hornpipe’s A part is very close to the Derry’s A-part and I gather there’s a hornpipe called The Elks’ Festival which is pretty damn close to the last two parts of the tune. There are three-part versions around and I think Cathal McConnell’s version on "Long Expectant …" is a six-parter. This is pretty close to the O’Neill’s version.

i learned this a good few years ago at the instigation of some players at a session…and nobody else did!
i still quite like the tune though!

Suggestion …

Tip Max off … it’s one of those tunes he likes to trot out early in the night when things are just settling. He gives it a good lash!

Derry HP

It is a great tune. Challanging and melodic. But I wouldn’t cxall it The LD HP. I think that people from Derry might not care for the added baggage implied by calling it The LD HP rather than just The Derry HP.

I think s/he means that it’s also called the LondonDerry hornpipe upon occasion, Mark. ;)

I had some lovely tunes in Derry.

Long, rambling tune full of nothing much. That last part’s the best bit.

I used to play this one but with differences, along with some other long and rambling numbers ~ and then folks like ‘Dow’ started with the negatives and the "ho hums" and the whispering ~ and so, to placate the complainers, the naysayers and grumps, I set such fancies aside… 8-)

:-P Nyah, nyah, nyah!!!

Was this a set?

Ok, so the first two sections look like the Ladies’ Hornpipe. And the last two seem to be the Elk’s Festival. So if the middle two are something else again, then this is a set that got standardised at some point.

Ladies’ Hornpipe: https://thesession.org/tunes/5625
The Elk’s Festival: https://thesession.org/tunes/8244

(London)derry Hornpipe

A friendly warning re. cocus’s note from 2005, but I really wouldn’t go calling this tune the "Derry Hornpipe" in the wrong part of (London)derry! It’s no place for naivete.

Theme song to a game show????

Wasn’t this tune used as the theme music on an American television game show of the seventies???? I think I’ve heard it there before. Anyone else know about this?

The Derry, X:2

Taught to me by Brian McNamara at Willie Clancy 2016. This is just the basic version we learned in class, I’m sure there are a lot of variations that can be put in.