John Doherty’s Mazurka

Mazurka, D, Irish Traditional
Also known as Johnny Doherty’s Mazurka; Tommy Peoples’ Mazurka; The Donegal Mazurka
TrailJams Tune of the Week for December 5, 2021; March 17, 2024

Mazurkas originated in Poland, and spread over Europe in the 1800s, both as tunes and as a dance form. They found their way to Ireland in the mid-1800s, and have become a traditional tune form there, particularly in county Donegal. This tune comes from those roots and traditions. It is named for Donegal fiddler John Doherty (1900 – 1980). Confusingly, this is one of two different tunes that are both referred to as “John Doherty’s Mazurka” and “Tommy Peoples’ Mazurka.” This one has the distinction of being in the key of D.

Recordings

• Audio – Comhaltas: John Doherty’s Mazurka – session recording from the album Foinn Seisiún 1: Traditional Irish Session Tunes
• Video – Kevin Crawford: Tommy’s Mazurkas – from the album In Good Company. (The first tune in the set is “John Doherty’s Mazurka.”)
• Video – Baron Collins-Hill: Tommy People’s Mazurka – Traditional Fiddle Tune on Mandolin – played on solo mandolin

Dots (Music Notation)

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.

• Sonny’s Mazurka Set: Sonny’s Mazurka (D) / John Doherty’s Mazurka (D)

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Video – Kieran Fahy: Sonny Brogans – John Doherty’s Mazurka from the album Irish Fiddle – Man From the West. (John Dohert’s Mazurka starts at time 1:53 in this recording.)
• Books
  • Book – Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann: Foinn Seisiún, Volume 1
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Julia Plumb (Free Fiddle Lessons): Tommy Peoples’ Mazurka (John Doherty’s Mazurka) – video fiddle lesson
• Additional Resources
  • Webpage – The Session: Tommy Peoples’ Mazurka. Listed as “Tommy People’s Mazurka,” this tune is “John Doherty’s Mazurka” in the TrailJams collection. Tommy Peoples is said to have called this tune “Doherty’s Mazurka.”
  • Article – Wikipedia: John Doherty (musician)
  • Video – Johnny Doherty – Fiddler on the Road Part 1 of 5 from Ulster Television. Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
  • Facebook page – John Doherty