Dick Gossip’s Reel

Reel, D, traditional Irish
Also known as The Castle; Dick Gossip; Dick Gossip’s
TrailJams Tune of the Week: January 14, 2024; January 4, 2026

Dick Gossip’s Reel is a widely loved Irish reel with a buoyant lift. The tune sits comfortably at the crossroads of Irish session playing and North American contra dance traditions.

For at least half a century, Dick Gossip’s Reel has been a staple of Irish sessions and dances, and it is equally well established in the contra dance repertoire in North America. There is no clear history on when and where the tune emerged, or who Dick Gossip was. In the setting here the first half (A-part) of the tune is lower pitch and the second half (B-part) higher pitch, but those two parts are often played in reverse order.

Recordings

• Video – Harriet Bartlett: Dick Gossip/Jean’s Reel – played on piano accordion
• Video – Peakfiddler: Dick Gossip – played on fiddle
• Audio – Stephen Ducke (Tradschool): Dick Gossip’s Reel – played on tin whistle. From the book Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes

Sheet Music

As always for traditional tunes, the musical notation and chords do not indicate the “right” way to play the tune, but are a useful reference.

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Otter’s Holt Reel Set: The Otter’s Holt (Bm) / Dick Gossip’s Reel (D) / The Star of Munster (A Dorian)
• Scholar Reel Set: The Scholar (D) / Dick Gossip/s Reel (D)
• Cooley’s Reel / Dick Gossip’s / The Earl’s Chair
• The Silver Spear / Dick Gossip’s

References and Resources

For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.

• More Recordings
  • Audio – Betsy Branch, Clyde Curley, Susan Songer: Dick Gossip’s / Tom Morrison’s Reel / Lady Ann Montgomery – from the album A Portland Play Along Selection 2, Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest
• Books
  • Book – Susan Songer with Clyde Curley: The Portland Collection, Volume 2 – Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest
  • Book & Audio – Stephen Ducke: Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Aidan Crossey (The Irish Mandolin): Dick Gossip’s – played on mandolin, with tablature in video.
  • Lesson – Peakfiddler: Fiddle Lesson – Dick Gossip Reel – video lesson with links to sheet music and mandolin tab
• Additional Resources
  • Tin Whistle Tablature – Learn Tin Whistle: Dick Gossip’s – sheet music with tin whistle tab
  • Webpage – The Session: Dick Gossip’s Reel – crowdsourced sheet music, comments, and more
  • Webpage – Irishtune.info: Dick Gossip’s – archival information about the tune, curated by Alan Ng.