Bearing in mind that one of my life rules is “Never say never”, 100 Popular Irish Session Tunes is the last in the series. Although the series comprises 600 tunes, this last book is still packed with popular standards. The Green Mountain, George White’s and The Bank of Turf are all perfect examples. Reels, jigs, hornpipes, polkas, slides, slip jigs, and barn dances are to be found in the book with the usual importance given to reels followed by jigs.
Six books of 100 Irish tunes plus six accompanying CDs has been a mega project. I think that if I had known at the outset what an enormous task I was setting myself, I would never have started. It has taken around 20 years to complete plus 15 years before that studying the music, when producing books such as these would never have entered my head. 
To be fair, the books’ development was nothing like as precise as this. I didn’t wake up one morning and say to myself “I think I’ll produce six Irish music books”. The books developed steadily over time, born out of my impatience to learn more and more tunes as quickly as possible. I found I kept forgetting tunes I had learned earlier, particularly the setting I had worked out to suit myself and my instrument, (I still forget nowadays but on a larger scale). Because of this, I started jotting the tunes down for easy revision. Then I saw a gap in the market and I published 100 Essential Irish Session Tunes from my crib sheets. It was a much bigger success than I had imagined, so I continued the series. I didn’t intend to bring out accompanying CDs but I had such a lot of requests for them that, in the end, I relented and produced the recordings, that took 13 years. Now the project is finished, I’m glad I’ve done it and I’m pleased with the end product although I would have liked to have had more talent to put into the soundtracks, but it’s difficult when you don’t start young. However, I feel that I have been paid a great compliment by the fact that companies in Ireland have copied my products, some tunes note for note.
The tune settings in this book are all ‘session friendly’, i.e. you can learn them exactly as written and know that you will have a perfectly acceptable version. However, I consider it unwise to learn a tune from only one source and I would suggest strongly that, when learning a new tune, you pay heed to other books, recordings and live performances. It is important to note that the settings in this book are greatly influenced by the instrument I play, the D/G melodeon (an accordion system rarely found in Irish music circles - B/C and C sharp/D are the norm). I’ve made a conscious effort to allow this to happen in order to give the book its own unique character. When choosing books, take care not to be put off by the title; some of the best sources of tunes are from tuition books. Just because the book cover says ‘Learn to Play the Banjo’, don’t think it’s of no use if you play the tin whistle.
Books will only help you to learn the notes of a tune. To pick up the rhythm of Irish music you must devote a large amount of time listening to both recordings and live musicians. Of greatest importance, you must practise; the value of this book is directly proportional to the number of hours a day you spend practising.
Chord arrangements are more or less as played on the soundtrack, but nevertheless, are only suggestions. The dominant chords (i.e. D in the key of G, A in the key of D and E in the key of A etc.) throughout this book are noted as plain major chords, whereas many musicians prefer to play the seventh (D7, A7, E7 etc.). Feel free to play either type of chord as the mood takes you.
Suggested ornamentation has been kept to a minimum and is indicated by the symbol ~.
To help those whose music reading skills only extends as far as finding the notes, a separate, optional CD has been produced (DMPCD1101), so you can familiarise yourself with a tune before learning it.
 
Contents
 
Reels

Ambrose Maloney's
Bag of Potatoes, The
Belles of Tipperary, The
Boys of Malin, The
Castle Kelly
Colonel Frazer
Dairy Maid, The
Dinkie's
Drunken Tinker, The
Dublin Reel, The
Eel in the Sink, The
Farewell to Erin
First Month of Summer, The
Foxhunters' Reel
Galtee Rangers
Gatehouse Maid, The
George White's Fancy
Green Mountain, The
Jackson's
Jenny Picking Cockles
Kilrush Polka No. 1, The
Kilrush Polka No. 2, The
King of the Clans
Laington's
Liffey Banks, The
Lucky in Love
Mamma's Pet
Mayor Harrison's Fedora
McDonagh's
McFadden's Handsome Daughter
Michael Creamer's
Michael Reilly's
Milliner's Daughter, The
Molloy's
Monsignor's Blessing
Mountain Top, The
Mullingar Races
Music in the Glen
My Love and I in the Garden
Paddy Cronin's
Peter Street
Piper's Despair, The
Rattigan's
Reconciliation, The
Red Haired Lass, The
Stenson's
Stoney Steps, The
Swinging on a Gate
Tom Ward's Downfall
Union Reel, The
Volunteer, The

Jigs

Bank of Turf, The
Bill Collins'
Brian O'Lynn
Bush on the Hill, The
Butchers' March, The
Come Have a Drink With Me
Con Cassidy's
Get Up Old Woman and Shake
Hole in the Hedge, The
Jerry's Beaver Hat
Kinnegad Slashers
Leg of the Duck, The
Leitrim Fancy
Old Man Dillon
Orphan, The
Paddy Taylor's
Rambler, The
Richard Brennan's Favourite
Rose's Delight
Scatter the Mud
Seamus Cooley's
Sliabh Russell
Trip to Sligo, A
Visit to Ireland, A

Hornpipes

Byrne's
Derry, The
High Level, The
Poppy Leaf, The
Showman’s Fancy

Polkas

Annaghbeg, The
Gullane No. 2, The
Johnny O'Leary's
Many a Wild Night
Pete Bradleys
Timmy O'Connors

Slides

Ceanngulla, The
Con Carthy's Favourite
Dan Cronin's
Dennis Enright's
Glountane Frolics
Kishkeam, The
Scart, The

Slip Jigs

Cock and the Hen
Dever the Dancer
Fig for a Kiss
Give Us a Drink of Water
Swaggering Jig

Barn Dances

Hills of Tara, The
Peach Blossoms