Tatter Jack Walsh

Jig, D Mixolydian, traditional Irish
Also known as: Father Jack Walsh; An t-Athair Jack Walsh
TrailJams Tune of the Week: January 18, 2026

This traditional Irish jig has a way of sounding like it’s telling a short, pointed story, shaped as much by its phrasing as by its modal character. That quality may explain why at least four songs are set to this melody, including The Price of the Pig, Tickle Cove Pond, King Lear, and The Dean’s Pamphlet.

The tune is said to be named for John Mac Walter Walsh of County Kilkenny, Ireland, who was known by the nickname “Tatter Jack.” The nickname comes from the Irish Athair Jack (“Father Jack”), a form of address that would normally refer to a priest. Despite the clerical sound of the name, Walsh was not a priest but a poet, and he is thought to have died in 1660.

If you are a bit hazy on the Mixolydian mode, see the article “Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell” for a brief and friendly explanation.

Recordings

• Video – Dervish: Father Jack – from the album Spirit. (Tatter Jack Walsh starts at time 1:38 in this recording. The three tunes in the track are: The Pipers Picnic / T’athair Jack Walsh / Pull the Knife. The tune is pitched one semitone above standard tuning in this recording.)
• Video – Séamus Egan: Tatter Jack Walsh / The Rambling Pitchfork – played on tenor banjo & harmonica. From the album In Your Ear. (Portland, Oregon, USA.)
• Video – Noel McLoughlin: Jigs – Tatter Jack Walsh, Tom Wards, Out on the Ocean – from the album Home Is the Rover. Note: the second tune in this set is “The Hag’s Purse,” not “Tom Ward’s” or “Jimmy Ward’s.”
• Video – Tunes from Doolin (Charles Monod): Tatter Jack Walsh (jig) | Irish Music Tunes on Concertina – solo concertina

Playlist – TrailJams Listening Series

Listen to a curated playlist (virtual album) of recordings of Tatter Jack Walsh. Absorb the tune by hearing it in multiple settings and arrangements. Listen, loop, and learn.

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. The version here draws from many of the resources listed on this page, but especially from the playing of Dervish and Séamus Egan. Be sure to listen to the reference recordings and playlist to get a feel for how the tune should be played, with ornamentation, variations, and expression.

About the mode and chords – the tune is in D Mixolydian mode. While the pure D Mixolydian scale includes C natural notes, the melody here includes some C# notes “borrowed” from the D major scale. Similarly, A major chords, while not purely built from the notes of the D Mixolydian scale, provide tension-filled pauses that pull towards a resolution. If you prefer, you can replace the A major chords with A5 chords, which omit the C note entirely.

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Tatter Jack’s Jig Set: Tatter Jack Walsh (D Mixolydian) / The Rambling Pitchfork (D) / Willie Coleman’s (G)
• Tatter Jack Walsh / The Connaughtman’s Rambles
• Tatter Jack Walsh / The Rambling Pitchfork
• The Cook in the Kitchen / Tatter Jack Walsh
• Tatter Jack Walsh / The Hag’s Purse / Out on the Ocean

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Tatter Jack Walsh
    • Video – Tunes from Doolin (Charles Monod): Tatter Jack Walsh (jig) | Irish Music Tunes on Concertina – solo concertina
  • Songs based on the Tatter Jack Walsh melody
    • Video – Tim Lyons: The Price of the Pig – from the album Big Guns & Hairy Drums by Fintan Vallely & Tim Lyons
    • Video – Great Big Sea: Tickle Cove Pond – from the album The Hard & The Easy
    • Video – Con O’driscoll – King Lear – from the album – It’s No Secret, by Hammy Hamilton, Seamus Creagh and Con O’driscoll
    • Video – Liam O’Flynn: The Dean’s Pamphlet – from the album Out To An Other Side
• Books
  • Book – Carla Chandler: 1100 Irish Tunes By Eye and By Ear – eBook published by “By Eye and By Ear Books”, Reno, Nevada, USA. ISBN 979-8-9869401-0-6. Provided by the author as a free downloadable PDF file.
  • Book & Audio – Stephen Ducke: Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes
  • Book – The Portland Collection, Volume 3 – Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest. By Susan Songer with Clyde Curley.
  • Book – Michael D. Long: The King Street Sessions Tunebook (Interactive edition by Michael Eskin) – free downloadable book in PDF format. The Interactive edition by Michael Eskin adds playable ABC transcriptions.
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Hatao (hatao’s Irish tune of the day): Tatter Jack Walsh (Double Jig, D) – video lesson. Tune played on flute with on-screen sheet music.
• Additional Resources
  • Article – Jonathan Lay (TrailJams): Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell
  • Web page – The Session: Tatter Jack Walsh (Jig) – crowdsourced sheet music, comments, and more
  • Web page – Henrik Norbeck’s ABC Tunes: Tatter Jack Walsh – sheet music and ABC notation for the tune
  • Article – Kilkenny Archeological Society: John McWalter Walsh — Interesting Data on Kilkenny Poet – about John Mac Walter (“Tatter Jack”) Walsh