The Humours of Derrycrossane

Slip Jig, G, traditional Irish
Also know as: The Humors of Derrycrossane; The Humours of Derrykissane; The Humours of Derrykosane

An elegant traditional Irish slip jig. This tune likely gets its name from the townland of Derrycrossane, which is near the village of Kilmihil, County Clare, Ireland.

Recordings

• Video – The Center for Irish Music: Slip Jigs – Fig for a Kiss & Humors of Derrycrossane – fiddle and flute with rhythm guitar. Played by Norah Rendell, Mary Vanorny, and Brian Miller. (St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Humors of Derrycrossane starts at time 1:18 in this recording.)
• Audio- Marla Fibish (with Martin Hayes): The Humours of Derrycrossane / Maud Millar / Eddie Duffy​’​s Favourite – played on mandolin (Marla Fibish) and fiddle (Martin Hayes). From the album The Bright Hollow Fog. (San Francisco, California, USA.)
• Video – Shannon & Matt Heaton: The Humors of Derrycrossane / The Humours of Whiskey – played on flute (Shannon) with rhythm on bouzouki (Matt). From their January 15, 2022 Virtual Guided Session (Bcmfest Salute!)
• Audio – Alex Sturbaum: I’m The Boy For Bewitching Them / Hunting The Hare / Humours of Derrycrossane (feat. Colin Lindsay) – played on fiddle (Colin Lindsay) with rhythm guitar (Alex Sturbaum). From the album Slash. (Olympia, Washington, USA. Humours of Derrycrossane starts at time 2:30 in this recording.)

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.

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Derrycrossane Slip Jig Set: Fig for a Kiss / Humours of Derrycrossane / Humours of Whiskey
• Redican’s Mother / Humours of Derrycrossane / Sir Philip McHugh

References and Resources

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

• Books
  • Book & Audio – Matt & Shannon Heaton: In Harmony 
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Marla Fibish (Peghead Nation) – Irish Mandolin – lessons for many tunes including The Humours of Derrycrossane. (Requires subscription to Peghead Nation.)
  • Lesson – The Center for Irish Music: 2021 Common Tunes
• Additional Resources
  • Webpage – The Session: The Humours Of Derrycrossane – crowdsourced sheet music, comments, and other information
  • Webpage – The Center for Irish Music: 2021 Common Tunes – sheet music and fast and slow recordings of the tune
  • About Derrycrossane
    • Article – Wikipdedia: Kilmihil – a brief article about about the village and parish of Kilmihil
    • Webpage – Clare County Library: Clare Townlands 1823-1837 – a list that includes townland of Derrycrossane in the parish of Kilmihil.
    • Website – Kilmihil Community