The Tarbolton reel

Also known as Cooleen Bridge, Droiċead Na Cuilín, Droichead Na Ciulin, Droichead Na Cuilín, Hatton Burn, The High Cross, The Tarboltan, Tarbolten, Tarbolten Lodge, Tarbolton Lodge, Tarbottal Lodge.

There are 108 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The Longford Collector (lots of times),
The Sailor’s Bonnet (lots of times),
The Warlocks (lots of times),
Bog An Lochan (lots of times) and
Malcolm Finlay (a few times).

The Tarbolton appears in 6 other tune collections.

The Tarbolton has been added to 171 tune sets.

The Tarbolton has been added to 1,178 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Eleven settings

X: 1
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

X: 2
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
a2 ge (3fed ed | =cA GE FD DE | ~F3G AB =cA | AA AA AA dA |
EF FG AB =cA | GB AG FD D2 | zE FG AB =cB | Ad dc de fg |
af ge fd ed | =cA GE FD Dg | fd ed fd e=c | (3A=cA dc Ad de |
(3=fed ed (3fed ed | =cA GE FD Dg | fd de fd e=c | AB =cA de fg |
(3agf (3gfe (3fed (3ed=c | d=c AG FD Dg | (3fgf eg fd e=c | AB =cA AA de |
(3=fed ed (3fed ed | =cA GE FD (3DDD | fd de fd e=c | A=c2A de fg |
(3agf ge fd ed | =cA GE FD De |
f2 fd e=c AG | FD (3EFG Ad =cA | GG (3EFG Ad de | fd ed (3Bcd eg |
fd (3ddd fd AG |1 FD (3DDD Ad =cA | GG (3EFG Ad dc |
(3A=cA GE FD De :|2 f2 fd e=c AG | (3FED (3EFG Ad =cA ||
GG (3EFG Ad de | fd ed (3Bcd eg | fd (3ddd fd AG | FD (3DDD Ad =cA |
GG (3EFG Ad dc | (3A=cA GE FD Df | a2 af de fg | a2 af de fa |
b2 ab ef gb | ef gb ef gb | a2 af de fg | a2 af de fa |
ag gf fe fd | (3Bcd AG FD Df | a2 af de fg | a2 af de fa |
b2 ab ef gb | ef gb ef gb | a2 af de fg | a2 af de fa |
ag gf fe fd | (3Bcd AG FD (3eee | =f3d e=c AG | FD (3EFG Ad =cA |
GG (3EFG Ad de | fd ed (3Bcd eg | fd (3ddd fd AG | FD (3DDD Ad =cA |
GG (3EFG Ad dc | (3A=cA GE FD De | f2 fd e=c AG | (3FED (3EFG Ad =cA |
GG (3EFG Ad de | fd ed (3Bcd eg | fd ed fd AG | FD (3DDD Ad =cA |
GG (3EFG Ad dc | AB GE FD Df | a2 af de fg | a2 af de fa |
b2 ab ef gb | ef gb ef gb | a2 af de fg | a2 af de fa |
ag gf fe (3fed | (3Bcd AG FD DD | a2 ~a3 a a2 | aa fa de fa |
b2 ab ef gb | ef gb ef gb | a2 af de fg | ab fa de fa |
b^g af =ge fd | (3B=cd AG FD DA | Be eB e2 BA | GB Af gf eg |
fd eA dB AF | GB AG FD DA | B3d ef ge | fd df ed BA |
GB AG (3EFG A=c | (3BAG GF GE EE | Be ee e2 BA | GB Af gf eg |
fd eA dB AF | GB AG FD DA | B3d ef ge | fd df ed BA |
GB AG (3EFG A=c | (3BAG GF GE EE | gf ef ge be | ge be gf ef |
d2 fd Ad fd | Ad AG FD EF | G3A F3A | e3f gf ed |
=c3B AB FA | (3B=cd (3AGF GE EE | gf ef ge be | ge be gf e^g |
^ga (3=gfe (3fed (3edc | dB AG FD EF | GB AG FA GF | ge ef gf ed |
ed =cB AB FA | (3B=cd (3AGF GE EB | e2 ee e2 BA | GB Af gf eg |
fd eA dB AF | GB AG FD DA | BB Bd ef ge | fd df ed BA |
GB AG (3EFG A=c | (3BAG GF GE EE | Be eB ed BA | GB Af gf eg |
fd eA dB AF | GB AG FD DA | Be eB ef ge | fd df ed BA |GB AG (3EFG A=c ||

X: 3
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

X: 4
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

X: 5
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

X: 6
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

X: 7
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
D^D |: EB eB ed BA | GB AF GF ED | DA dA dA GF | GB AF GF D^D |
EB eB ef ge |fe df ed BA | G2 BG FG A=c |1 BG AF GE ED :|2 BG AF GE E2 ||
ef ge be ge | be gf e4 |(3ddd fd ad fd | fg fe dB AF |
G2 BG FG AF | E2 ef gf ed | B2 =cB AG A=c | BG AF GE E2 :|

X: 8
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

X: 9
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
D|: Eeed e2 BA |GBAF GFE2 |Dddc d2AF|GBAG FDDF|
Eeed e2ge|fedf e2BA|GABG FGA=c|1 (3BAG (3AGF GEED :|2 (3BAG (3AGF GEE2 ||
|: gfef (3gfe be|(3gfe be gfef|d2 (3fed adfd|ABAG FDDF|
G2 (3BAG F2 (3AGF|E2ef gfed|B2dB AGFA|1 (3BAG (3AGF GEE2 :|2 (3BAG (3AGF GEED ||

X: 10
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

X: 11
T: The Tarbolton
R: reel

Thirty-nine comments

Mighty Tune

This is often played as a set
Tarbolton/The Longford Collector/The Sailor’s Bonnet
Michael Coleman recorded this then the Bothy Band recorded a take of it - cementing these three tunes together forever.
Anywho those three tunes are all great on their own as well. This is also known as The Tarbolton Lodge, judging by the name it’s originally Scottish (I Guess) but now it’s Irish as Boxty. I like this tune because it’s not all arpegio’s & not very repetitive, it’s got a flowing melody that’s rock solid.
I’ll post the rest of the reels in due time.

tarbolton lodge is found can the athole collection of scottish fiddle tunes….and no doubt a few other collections

Chieftains 7

There’s a great version of this tune on track 1 of the Cheiftains 7. It simply sounds magical.

Tarbolton

Johnny Doran and John Kelly played a smoking version on "The Bunch of Keys."

Doran

yes, doran and kelly did a good rendition that was followed up by fermoy lasses

Spillane

this set can also be heard by davy spillane’s "one day in june" on his shadow hunter album. his variation deviates a lot from the tune at times but nethertheless it is great hearing.

Cooleen Bridge

Under this name it appears in O’Neill’s 1001.
Fiddler Johnny Allen, County Clare, gave this tune and “The Maids of Feakle” to O’Neill when the latter was visiting in the area. (source: Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, 1999)

The Blue Book and The Orange Book

In these books the tunes are arranged in sets. The tunes are played at a very pleasant speed making learning them easy and enjoyable. I would recommend these two books and accompanying CD’s as the first books to buy for anyone who is serious about Irish music. It has taken me four years to stumble upon them. I could of saved a lot of time and aggravation if I had known of them. The Blue and Orange books are a must!

Blue and Orange Books

I neglected to say that Tarbolton,Longford Collector and Sailor’s Bonnet is a set in the Blue Book.

How do you pronounce this?

is the accent on the first or second syllable?

Second syllable as far as I know.

Missing note

What note is missing at the beginning of the B part?

f#. At least, that’s how Buddy MacMaster and I both play it, and I’m sure we can’t both be wrong.

Davy Spillane’s "One Day in June" set consists of —
My Love is in America / The Galway High / Tarbolton / The Longford Collector / The Sailor’s Bonnet

The Tarbolton

Here it is played at a good session, from about 20 secs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Zx_VSOzfA

play video

How do you pronounce this? If anyone’s still interested…

The village of Tarbolton in East Ayrshire, near which the Lodge was situated (the closest thing now is a caravan park with "pet friendly lodges"!) is locally pronounced Tar-BOW-ton with bow as in the front of a ship, not a bow tie. The inhabitants of the big house probably said "bol", but the stress is still on the second syllable.

One day in june "Shadow hunter" David Spillane Tarbolton - Longford tinker - Sailor´s bonnet

1

2

A valiant effort MN, but what a mess… 😏 I’d go back to the drawing board, like learning a bit more about notation in general, and ABC notation specifically, as well as retuning your ears and giving Spillane a closer listen, several. You could then run your next attempt past one of us here, even in discussion, and seek a bit of help, please, before you add anything more here…

Wishing you the best - ‘c’

:-p

Oh no, you’ve been laying it on thick elsewhere as well… P-l-e-a-s-e - learn ABC notation before you do anymore, learn the basics for starters, like laying out the tune in 4 bar measures, grouping the notes in the usual fashion for the various time signatures, AND - using the headers too, out of respect for the music and those who might stumble across your attempts…

Johnny Keenan Version - The Feekers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmHksw_ubjk&feature=plcp

play video

Tarbolton

Here’s a nice setting on mandolin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQk7RVmZZ0o

play video

Finbar’s version

I learnt this version from an LP I bought many years ago of Finbar Furey.

Tarbolton Lodge

‘Lodge’ refers to a Masonic Lodge, in this case the branch set up by Robert Burns in the Tarbolton Bachelor’s Club. The building is still there, open to the public and containing many original artefacts. Run by knowledgeable guides and you get the run of the place as, in my experience, you’ll be the only one there.

A rousing Chieftains rendition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_kNC6GyJFM

play video

Solo whistle version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMODyd87Ej4

play video

The Tarbolton, X:7

I learned this tune in the early 70s from The Dayhills. I sat in with them occasionally while they were in St. Paul, MN. They spent about half the year there and the rest in Ireland. Always loved their version and I still play it.

The Tarbolton, X:8

Taken from ‘A Fine Selection of Over 200 Irish Traditional Tunes for Sessions’, compiled by David Speers with a Forward by Matt Cranitch. This Em version was (like the others in this book) collected in the 1980’s and 90’s and this was with … The Longford Collector and Sailor’s Bonnet. Nice to see the continuity!

Re: The Tarbolton

It is in fact Scottish. The Tarbolton Lodge was Robert Burns’ Masonic lodge and located in Ayr Scotland.
Sylvia Miskoe, Concord nh usa

Re: The Tarbolton

Re: The Tarbolton

The Irish Descendants, third tune, starting at ~ 2mins 17s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7Ftb2gbqFM

play video

The set is titled as "Emile’s Irish Reels", likely referring to Newfoundland fiddler Emile Benoit and his playing of the tunes.

The Tarbolton, X:11

Heard in in Toulouse (France) in 2020. Nice setting that is often played in set with The Longford Collector and The Sailor’s Bonnet.

Re: The Tarbolton

McCusker Brothers Ceili Band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlyMvwNVa-4

play video

Re: The Tarbolton

Don’t want to open a can of worms, but fiddlers - do you use an open string for the high Es in the first bar, or dare the fourth finger? Open seems preferable but you’ve presumably got to nimbly leapfrog the A string or perhaps get a ghost of a B note in passing by putting the first finger down on both the D and A strings? I ask this having not started learning this tune yet, so maybe I’ll find out what seems sensible tonight!

Re: The Tarbolton

I have always played the open ‘e’. After reading your question I just had to go and try it with the pinky on the ‘a’ string to see if there was a difference. If anything I can get s slightly higher dramatic attack on the open ‘e’, but it’s barely distinguishable. But really, you shouldn’t be having a problem jumping that ‘a’string to the ‘e’. You should be able to leapfrog from any string to any other. If you are finding it difficult then just practice it slowly in isolation (at first) and you will soon have it. It’s the same with ‘daring’ the pinky;- there should be nothing daring about it. I’m not sure what you mean when you say about getting "ghost of a B note in passing by putting the first finger down on both the D and A strings". Where does that happen? But fundamentally, I would just go for the jump to the open ‘e’.

Re: The Tarbolton

Agreed, I was thinking the slightly more ready attack on the open E would be preferable, and I had a quick go tonight which I felt confirmed that. Indeed, I don’t have a problem leapfrogging like that - in fact I used to have to do it a lot more often because I initially played classical violin, but in more recent years I’ve tried to keep connected with the strings more consistently. I suppose for that reason when I spot a potential string leap in a tune the thought just occurs!
It doesn’t really matter about the B note, I was just thinking what one could do so that if the A string were inadvertently sounded it would send less like a mistake.
(Oh and the ‘daring the pinky’ was just a little joke as I know that some players feel the open string is always to be preferred - I didn’t mean it from the viewpoint of technical difficulty, though to be fair I know that mine can sometimes disappoint me…).

Re: The Tarbolton

Interestingly enough I’ve just listened to how the Coleman recording starts and he actually plays the aforementioned B against the higher E!

Re: The Tarbolton

I realised what you meant about the ‘b’ just before I read your last post. Sometimes I just deliberately play the ‘b’ as a fast bridge note to the open ‘e’. Yes, I think I picked that up (by ear) from Coleman.

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