Dinky’s Reel

Reel, A Mixolydian, attributed to Francie “Dearg” Byrne (1903 – 1987)
Also known as: Dinkey’s Reel; Dinky Dorrian’s, Dinkie’s

This tune comes from the fiddling of Francie “Dearg” Byrne (1903 – 1987) of Ireland’s County Donegal. He is said to have named the tune for his friend, step dancer Hughie ‘Dinky’ Dorrian.

This tune is in A Mixolydian, which uses the notes of a D major scale but resolves to an A major chord. If you are hazy on the Mixolydian mode, you’ll find a brief and friendly explanation in this article: Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell.

Be sure to look at the “Nifty Mnemonics” lyrics below for a handy way to remember the melody.

Recordings

• Video – Altan: Paddy’s Trip To Scotland / Dinky’s / The Shetland Fiddler – from the album Horse With A Heart. (Dinky’s starts at time 1:34 in this recording.)
• Video – Francie “Dearg” Byrne and Peter Carr: Dinky Dorrian’s Reel – played on two fiddles, Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, October 1982. (“Gravel Walks” YouTube Channel)
• Video – Tom Morley: The Raven’s Wing / The Wise Maid / Dinkey Dorian’s – from the album The Raven’s Wing (a curious collection of fiddle tunes). (Dinkey Dorian’s starts at time 4:09 in this recording.)

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. This simplified version comes from the playing of Francie “Dearg” Byrne and Peter Carr. The tune is at its best when it is played with triplets and other ornamentation.

Alternative chords: For the final four measures of the tune, the sheet music shows alternative chords in parenthesis. This alternative chord progression comes from The Portland Collection, and gives a nice accompaniment to the melodic walk-down at the end of the tune.

In TrailJams Tune Camp, the tutorial for this tune includes 3 versions: Version 1 is the basic tune, slightly simplified, with no ornamentation. Version 2 adds single-note triplets as ornamentation to the basic tune. Version 3, the most complex version, adds multi-note triplets and some melody notes that were removed from the basic version. All of these versions can be played together, and as you play you can draw from a mix of any of these versions as you create your own variations.

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Dinky’s Rio Linton Set: Dinky’s Reel (A Mixolydian) / The Reel of Rio (G) / The High Road to Linton (A Mixolydian)
• Congress Reel / Dinky’s Reel
• Dinky’s Reel / John Stenson’s #2
• The Reel of Rio / Dinky’s Reel / The Lads of Laois
• Dinky’s Reel /Rakish Paddy / Drowsy Maggie

Nifty Mnemonics –
Lyrics for Remembering the Tune

Here are some lyrics to help you remember how the tune goes, and particularly how to start it. They are not traditional, and they are pretty silly. It’s a story of mice. Why mice? The opening C# – B – A notes of the tune fit the start of the children’s song “Three Blind Mice.” Since the tune is named for Dinky, and dinky means small, and mice are small, that makes a connection to help remember how the tune starts. Because of the additional notes in the tune, “three blind mice” becomes “there were three little mice”.

Dinky's Reel (Three Little Mice) -- memory aid lyrics by Jonathan Lay

A Part:
There were three little mice, 
And they were living up in Canada
   They lived up in the woods
   And they were very, very good
Yes there were three little mice,
And they were living up in Canada
   They lived there in winter
   When the winds blow so cold

Yes there were three little mice . . . 

B Part:
Oh they were happy there in winter
And the roots they had for dinner
   Made them healthy little mice
   Who figure-skated on the ice
Oh they were happy there in winter
With the roots they had for dinner,
   As they lived there in winter
   When the winds blow so cold

Yes they were happy there in winter
And the roots they had for dinner
   Made them healthy little mice
   Who figure-skated on the ice
And then they sledded down the hill
Until they finally had their fill,
   As they lived there in winter
   When the winds blow so cold


(Copyright Jonathan Lay 2024)

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Video – De Danann: Jimmy Byrne’s and Dinkie’s – from the album Anthem. (Dinkie’s starts at time 1:16 in this recording.)
• Books
  • Book – The Portland Collection, Volume 1 – Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest. By Susan Songer with Clyde Curley.
  • Book – Altan: The Tunes (Altan Tune Book) – 222 tunes from 12 studio albums of the band Altan.
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Enda Scahill: Dinky’s Reel – a Backwards Lesson!! – tenor banjo video lesson (free lesson, with more detail available through subscription to Enda Scahill’s Patreon channel)
• Additional Resources
  • Article – Jonathan Lay (TrailJams): Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell
  • Webpage – The Traditional Tune Archive: Dinkie Dorrian’s – archival information about the tune, with sheet music transcribed from the 1985 De Danann album Anthem