Dingle Regatta

Slide, G, traditional Irish
TrailJams Tune of the Week: May 3, 2026

Dingle Regatta is a playful and bouncy traditional Irish slide. It seems to invite comedy, and is often accompanied at moments with singing (lilting), standing up and sitting down, and other shenanigans that pack silly fun into the playing of the tune.

The tune’s name: The tune takes its name from the southwest Ireland seaside town of Dingle, where an annual summer regatta brings crowds to the harbor to watch four-rower naomhóg boats race. (A naomhóg, pronounced nye-vogue or naa-vogue, is a traditional, lightweight Irish rowing boat, specifically a type of currach found in Co. Kerry, West Cork, and Waterford.) Whether or not the melody has a direct historical connection to the event, it captures something of that atmosphere: lively, sociable, and a little chaotic.

A bit more about naomhóg boats: These boats are built in a traditional design, with a distinctive pointed bow and a squared-off stern as shown in the photograph below. For a charming story of a second-time boat build, watch Eoin Reardon’s video Making a Currach – Traditional Irish Boat Building. In it you’ll see all of the parts of the naomhóg shaped and assembled, from the raw beginning to the currach’s first launch.

Recordings

• Video – Comhaltas: Dingle Regatta – session recording from the album Foinn Seisiún 2
• Video – Pat Barton Accordion: The Dingle Regatta – Irish traditional jig on button accordion – two accordions and some silliness
• Video – Liverpool Céilí Band: Dingle Regatta – from the album Reunion Concert published by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann

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.

• River to Regatta Slide Set: The Cúil Aodha Slide (D) / The Brosna Slide (G) / Dingle Regatta (G)

References and Resources

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

• Books
  • Book – Foinn Seisiún, Volume 2 — Published by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Hatao: 333 Dingle Regatta (Slide, G) – video with the tune played on flute and on-screen sheet music
  • Lesson – Tin Whistle Traveler: The Dingle Regatta – Tin Whistle D Cover + Tabs Tutorial – video shows tin whistle fingering and tablature
• Additional Resources
  • Web page – The Session: Dingle Regatta