The Foxhunter’s Reel

Reel, G major and A major, traditional Irish
Also known as: Foxhunters; Foxhunter’s Reel; The Foxhunters
Trailjams Tune of the Week: April 5, 2026, April 12, 2026

With its extended five-part form, The Foxhunter’s Reel is a gleeful agility course for musicians. It is commonly played in G and A: fiddle players delight in how it rings in A, while whistle and flute players like how nicely it lays out in G. The tune was likely composed for country dances of the 18th or 19th century, where the parts of the tune could carry a sequence of dance figures. Today it thrives in Irish sessions as a kind of musical romp.

About Fox Hunting — This tune was named in an era when hunting live foxes was part of rural life. That practice has been largely replaced or outlawed in many regions today, with modern hunts typically following a laid scent trail instead.

Recordings

• Video – Comhaltas: Foxhunters – from the album Foinn Seisiún 1: Traditional Irish Session Tunes, published by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
• Video – Martin Hayes: The Crooked Road / The Foxhunter’s Reel – from the album Under the Moon. (The Foxhunter’s Reel starts at time 1:17 in this recording.)
• Video – Séamus Egan: The Dawn / Foxhunter’s – from the album In Your Ear. (Foxhunter’s starts at time 1:37 in this recording. Album artists include Mick Moloney, Siobhán Egan, Jimmy Keane, Rosalyn Briley, Lori Cole, and Rory Ann Egan.)

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.

Scroll down for sheet music and play-along tracks in A Major and G Major.

A Major

G Major

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Two-Fox Road Reel Set: The Foxhunter’s Reel (G) / The Crooked Road to Dublin (G) / The Foxhunter’s Reel (A)
• The Crooked Road to Dublin (G) / The Foxhunter’s Reel (A)

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Audio – Stephen Ducke (Tradschool): The Foxhunter (Reel) – played in G on solo tin whistle. Audio track for the book Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes. (In the key of G.)
  • Audio – John Weed and Stuart Mason: The Foxhunter’s Reel – from the album Slow & Easy Volume 2 by John Weed and Stuart Mason. (In the key of A).
• Books
  • Book – Foinn Seisiún, Volume 1 — Published by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
  • Book & Audio – Stephen Ducke: Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes – (The Foxhunter Reel in G
  • Book – Slow & Easy: 50 Irish Tunes by Mason and Weed – Book comes with 50 downloadable tracks (2 albums) of tunes played well and slowly on fiddle and DADGAD guitar. (Foxhunter’s Reel in G.)
  • Book & Audio – Dave Mallinson: 100 Essential Irish Session Tunes – (The Foxhunters’ Reel in G.)
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Hatao (hatao’s Irish tune of the day): The Foxhunter’s Reel (Single Reel, A Ionian) – video lesson. Tune played on flute with on-screen sheet music.
  • Lesson – Mari Black: Mari’s Tune of the Month – June 2021: Irish reel, “The Foxhunter’s” (in G) – video lesson on fiddle. Tune is taught in the key of G.
  • Lesson – Aodan Coyne: The Foxhunters Reel – Guitar Lesson (DADGAD Tuning) – video lesson, rhythm guitar accompaniment for the tune in the key of A.
• Additional Resources
  • Web page – The Session: The Foxhunters (reel) – crowdsourced sheet music, comments and more
  • Web page – irishtune.info: Foxhunter’s Reel – archival information about the tune, curated by Alan Ng.