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The Parting Glass reel

Also known as The Cork March, The Peacock’s Feather, The Peacock’s March, The Peacock.

There are 104 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with Munster Grass (a few times) and The Rights Of Man (a few times).

The Parting Glass has been added to 4 tune sets.

The Parting Glass has been added to 153 tunebooks.

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Three settings

X: 1
T: The Parting Glass
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amin
|:e>d | c2 B>c A2 AB | cdec d2 cd | e2 a ^f g=fed | c2 a2 g2 e>d |
c2 B>c A2 AB | cdec d2 cd | e2 af gfed | c2 A2 A2 :|
|: e>f | gfga gfed | e2 A2 A2 B>A | gfed cBcd | e2 G2 G2 e>d |
c2 B>c A2 AB | cdec d2 cd | e2 af gfed| c2 A2 A2 :|
X: 2
T: The Parting Glass
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amin
GEFD ~E3 F | ~G3 B ~A2 GA | B ~e3 edBA |1 G ~E3 (3DED :|
(3dcd Bd ~e2 (3Bcd | edBG ~A2 Bc | d ~B3 edBA | GEFE D2 BA |
~G2 FD ~E3 F | GFGB (3ABA GA | Be (3def edBA | GE (3FED E2 ||
X: 3
T: The Parting Glass
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Emin
|: BA G2 E2 E2 | DE G2 G2 A2 | GA B2 B2 BA | GA B2 D2 D2 |
BA G2 E2 E2 | DE G2 G2 A2 | GA B2 e2 d2 | BA G2 E2 E2 :|
|: Bc dB e2 d2 z| dd B e2 d3 | B c2 cB A2 G | A B2 D2 D2 B |
A G2 E2 E2 D | E G2 G2 A2 G | A B2 e2 d2 B | A G2 E2 E3 :|

Eleven comments

This is technically a reel but also works well as an air.

Comes out here more march-like than reel-like. I’ve heard it many times as an air and, of course, heard many a singer sing the song. In dance music form it is more commonly played in a hornpipe version as "The Peacock’s Feather" Never heard it as a reel.

“technically a reel”?

I’ve always thought of ‘Parting Glass’ as a song air, never a reel. What makes it ‘technically’ a reel?

Posted by .

“The Parting Glass” / “The Peacock’s March”

As a ‘reel’, it’s ‘single’, without the repeats given here, the same as for the song. Also, as a single reel, it would be played more like a reel, with some differences compared to this transcription, though maybe this is meant to be more of an American style reel. However, song aside, it’s earliest entity is as a march, and the earliest source for it that I know of is that old standby, "O’Farrell’s Pocket Companion",vol. IV, 1810, where he calls it simply "The Peacock", a march…

“The Peacock’s Feather” ~ Reel ~ one take on it with a few rolls

K: E Dorian (can also be played minor, e or a)
|: BA |
GEFD ~E3 F | ~G3 B ~A2 GA | B ~e3 edBA |1 G ~E3 (3DED :|
2 GEFD (3EFE B^c ||
(3dcd Bd ~e2 (3Bcd | edBG ~A2 Bc | d ~B3 edBA | GEFE D2 BA |
~G2 FD ~E3 F | GFGB (3ABA GA | Be (3def edBA | GE (3FED E2 ||

“The Peacock’s Feathers” ~ hornpipe / barndance ~ a distant cousin, ‘in name only’?

ey signature: d minor
Submitted on April 29th 2002 by wordridden.
https://thesession.org/tunes/663

Parting Glass as March

Have seen this tune called The Cork March

See "The Peacock" link just previous, the march…

Fill To Me The Parting Glass

Is anyone familiar with the tune "Fill To Me The Parting Glass" which was featured in the movie "Waking Ned Devine"? It was written by Shaun Davey. Nice little take on the traditional Parting Glass tune!

can someone fix?

There’s a mistake in the sheet music, first measure of the "B" section has 4-1/2 beats. Everything after that is shifted a half-beat to the right.
Probably not that important since this tune is fairly ubiquitous, but a little confusing nonetheless.

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