Dunphy’s Hornpipe

Hornpipe, G, Traditional Irish
Also know as Dumphy’s; Dunphies

Dunphy's Hornpipe. Traditional Irish. TrailJams Tune of the Week. Play it together March 19, 2023. Illustration copyright 2023 Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org

A jaunty and cheerful Irish hornpipe, this tune was among those collected and published by Francis O’Neill in the early 1900s. It may be that the “Dunphy” that the tune is named for was O’Neill’s source for the tune.

Recordings

Sheet Music (Dots)

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. There are two versions of the tune below: The first, the essential version, has simple ornamentation, with just a few triplets included to give the tune a hornpipe feel. The second, “dressed-up” version has more ornamentation, and some other minor variations — it may be more challenging to play up to speed, but it adds richness to the basic tune.

Version 1: Essential Tune

This is the essential version of the tune. The ornamentation is kept very simple, with just a few triplets included to give the tune a hornpipe feel.

Sheet music and chords for Dunphy's Hornpipe, traditional Irish Hornpipe in G major. Arrangement by Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org
Play from the Dots

Version 1: Essential Tune

Slow tempo 55bpm
Moderate tempo 75bpm

Version 2: Dressed-Up Version

This version of the tune has more ornamentation and has some other slight variations from the essential tune. The ornamentation and variation in this version come from the playing of John Whelan (John Whelan’s 2021 “Taking Time” Session Recordings Archive, Taking Time #2).

Sheet music and chords for Dunphy's Hornpipe, traditional Irish Hornpipe in G major (with ornamentation & variation per John Whelan). Arrangement by Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org
Play from the Dots

Version 2: Dressed-Up Tune

Slow tempo 55bpm
Moderate tempo 75bpm

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

References and Resources

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