The Trip To Sligo jig

There’s another name for this tune. I believe the word “lark” is somewhere in the title. I learned it about 20 years ago from a book that has disappeared from my shelves.

I usually hear this tune paired with “Tell Her I Am”.

The reason why necox believs this tune has another name with “lark” in it, is probably that the Dubliners recorded the song “Lark In the Morning” (no connection to the tune with the same name) and incorporated this tune as intro and middle part. Though they played it C Major

Sorry, they played in D minor. I got confused because I use the C whistle on this one

T:Old Lark in the Morning, The (The Trip to Sligo)
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:Jimmy Power : Irish Fiddle player
R:jig
Z:GianMarcoPietrasanta
K:EMin
B|E2c BGE|D2d AFD|~E3 BAF|GFE e2f|
gfe d^cB|AdF FED|EFG ABc|BGE E2:|B|
eBA gfe|dAd fed|eBe gfe|f/2g/2af gfe|
f/2g/2af gfe|d>^cd AFD|EFG ABc|BGE E2:|

There’s a nice solo recording of this on Michael Gorman The Sligo Champion (Topic records)

I usually play this tune after a waltz -Munster Cloak. (G major). You can fall into a slow version and speed up the next round if you want.

I’ve heard a version of this under the name “When I Parted” from the Boat BAnd (It’s one of a set of jigs on their Trip to the Lakes CD).
A quick web search shows it appearing in an 1847 Lancashire manuscript, and a Lake District 1835 one.
I wonder where else it’s various travels have taken this tune?

Here’s a transcription of the Boat Band version:
X:1
T:When I Parted.
C:Transcribed from “Trip to the Lakes” CD The Boat Band
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:120
R:Jig
O:England
A:Lakes
K:G
D|E2B BGE|D2d AFD|E2B BGE|GF Ee2f|!
gfe dcB|AFd AFD|E2B BGB|AGFE2:|!
|:B|eBe gbe|fdf fgf|eBe gbe|
faf gfe|eBe gbe|d^cd AFD|EFG ABc|BG FE2:|]

The Lark in the Morning version is in O’Neill’s but differs in using some strong C naturals in the first part and some small differences to the second part.
see https://thesession.org/tunes/8506

It’s also in “Waifs and Strays” as “The Lark in the Morning”, and it is annotated:

“James Carbray, Quebec Canada. Mr. Carbray now of Chicago, a versatile musician himself, learned ”The Lark in the Morning“ from a Kerry fiddler named Courtney. It is an old time Set Dance of marked rhythm and originality, and was first printed in ”O’Neill’s Music of Ireland, Chicago, 1902".

X: 4
T: Lark in the Morning, The
B: O’Neill’s “Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody”, 1922, page75, tune #124
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Emin
|: B, |\
[B,2E2] c BGE | D2 d AFD | [B,2E2] c BAF | GFE e2 e/f/ |
gfe dcB | A/B/AG FED | EFG ABc | BGF E2 :|
|: B |\
eBe g<be | dAd f<af | eBe g<be | f<af g<be |
f<af gfe | d{e/d/}cd AFD | EFG ABc | BGF E2 :|

S: “Michael Gorman: The Sligo Champion”, 2nd CD, track 16, 2nd tune

In answer to someone’s question…

Number 240 in O‘Neill’s 1001 jigs, reels, hornpipes airs and Marches has this tune with some differences ( the B part is better I think) However he calls in ’The Lark In the Morning’. Odd.

S: O’Neill’s “Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems”, 1907, page 54, tune #240
S: O’Neill’s “Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody”, 1922, page 75, tune #124 (minus staccato)

Notes from “Waifs & Strays”: Source listed: James Carbray, Quebec, Canada ~
Mr. Carbray now of Chicago, a versatile musicna himself, learned “The Lark in the Morning” from a Kerry fiddler named Courtney. It is an old time Set Dance of marked rhythm and originality, and was first printed in “O’Neill’s Music of Ireland, 1902. (Not found in ”Music of Ireland“ but in ”Dance Music of Ireland", 1907, as listed above.)

its played with The Killavil in Scully’s in Newmarket.

I have never cared for this tune and remain befuddled at its popularity.

I attempted to make a piano and low whistle arrangement here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqgMGzmwtbs

play video

It is short, but i think the melody lends itself well to the piano.

In reply to spindizzy.. About versions of The Trip to Sligo. Here is a version from near Lancaster, north Lancs, 1823. It is from a part of the Winder family collection. Google “ The Winders of Wyresdale”


X:1
T:A Trip to Sligo
A:Wyresdale, Lancashire
B:H.S.J. Jackson, 1823
S:in Airds2
L:1/8
M:2/4
K:Dmix
G2BG | dG BG | A/A/A Bd| e2g2 | G2BG | dG BG | cA BG| E2D2 :|
g>a ge |dB GB | ga ge | ag ab | g>a ge |dB GB | cA BG |E2D2 |
g>a ge| dB GB | g>a ge | a>g ab | gb eb | dg dB | cA BG| E2D2|]

Taken from ‘A Fine Selection of Over 200 Irish Traditional Tunes for Sessions’, compiled by David Speers with a Forward by Matt Cranitch. It’s called The Lark’s Song there, possibly from one of the alternative names given on this site, The Old Lark in the Morning.

Played by Roger Sherlock [ after “Morrison’s” ] starting at 1m04s :
https://youtu.be/NpQ8kEY9oq8

play video

From the harp playing of Andrea Freeman.

Almost identical setting to Patrick Ball’s, on his 1983 harp album “Celtic Harp Volume Two: From A Distant Time”. Andrea may have learned it from this album, as they give the tune the same name (“The Lark On The Strand”), and his album pre-dates her album by a handful of years.

Lovely jig, I heard sometimes played in D min

I’ve attempted to transcribe a version of Trip to Sligo from the LP called ‘Diou Delenn Deux Harpes Celtiques’, by Mariannig Larc’hantec & Dominig Bouchard. It is dated 1981 on vinyl. Never seen it in any more modern format. They play it as a slow moody jig. This was actually the 1st version I’d heard of the tune, as a youngster, back in the ‘80s! This meant all the standard versions seemed a bit truncated in comparison. It becomes a ‘crooked’ tune the way they play it, in the sense of unequal parts and also having a bar in 9/8 time. I tried to transcribe it without that but it never made any sense. Unless you’re looking out for it, you hardly notice it, a bit of an aural illusion perhaps. Might trip up a step dancer though! The main difference in how they play it is to repeat separately the two main phrases in the A part. Glad to have any feedback.

This is the melody line I always had in mind for this tune. I suspect I got it from the Chieftains, they did a beautiful arrangement of the tune in this album:

https://youtu.be/uTjodmB50ck

play video

Brendan McGlinchey plays it just like that