Torn Jacket

Reel, D, Irish, by Connie O’Connell (circa 1985)
TrailJams Tune of the Week: March 2, 2025

A sweet and bold Irish reel, composed by Connie O’Connell (circa 1985). A fiddle player and composer from Cill na Martra, County Cork, Ireland, Connie O’Connell has crafted dozens of original compositions in the Irish tradition.

Recordings

• Audio – Connie O’Connell: The Torn Jacket – played by Connie O’Connell (fiddle), Áine Ní Chonaill (fiddle), and John Blake (piano). Source: “Connie O’Connell — Original Compositions from a Master Fiddle Player” (see “Additional Resources” below).
• Video – Connie O’Connel: The Clare Reel, The Torn Jacket – from the album Ceol Cill Na Martra (Music from Cill Na Martra). (“The Clare Reel” is also know as “The Scolding Wife.” The Torn Jacket starts at time 0:54 in this recording.)
• Video – Floating Crowbar: Reels: The Torn Jacket / The Virginia – from the album The Torn Jacket

Sheet Music

The sheet music here is provided by the tune’s composer, Connie O’Connel. To see the source of the sheet music visit the online collection “Connie O’Connell, Original Compositions from a Master Fiddle Player.” There you can download the sheet music and an audio recording of the tune, played by its composer. The link (URL) to the sheet music shown here is https://connieoconnell.ucc.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/45TornJacket1.jpg (Suggested chords for the tune are shown below.)

Be sure to also visit this tune’s entry in the Irish Traditional Music Archive, where you’ll find a different audio recording as well as sheet music in Soundslice form, synchronized to the audio recording.

Suggested Chords

A Part
D – | A – | D – | A D |
D – | A – | D – | A D |
B Part
D – | G Em7 | A – | A – |
D – | G Em7 | A – | A D |

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Jacket Reel Jig Set: The Peeler’s Jacket (G) / The Torn Jacket (D) / The Virginia Reel (D)
• Edinburgh Reel Set: The Flowers of Edinburgh (G) / Torn Jacket (D) / The Virginia Reel (D)
• The Scolding Wife / Torn Jacket
• The Peeler’s Jacket / Torn Jacket
• Torn Jacket / The Virginia
• The Ashplant / Torn Jacket
• The Torn Jacket / Come West Along the Road

References and Resources

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

• Books & Sheet Music
  • Sheet Music & Audio – Irish Traditional Music Archive: The torn jacket [comp. Connie O’Connell], reel – Audio recording of the tune played by Connie O’Connell, Matt Cranitch, and Joe Thoma (all playing fiddle). Soundslice sheet music synchronized to the audio recording.
  • Book & Audio – Matt & Shannon Heaton: In Harmony 
  • Book – Susan Songer with Clyde Curley: The Portland Collection, Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest, Volume 3
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Enda Scahill: The Torn Jacket Reel (Plus How To Play In Sessions!) – video lesson for tenor banjo (free). Full lesson available (requires subscription to Irish Banjo Lessons with Enda Scahill.)
• Additional Resources
  • Video – Randy Miller: Connie O’Connell, The Torn Jacket – Connie O’Connell tells how the tune got its name, then plays the tune with his daughter
  • Website: Connie O’Connell, Original Compositions from a Master Fiddle Player — The website offers a downloadable collection of sheet music and audio recordings of tunes composed by Connie O’Connell. It also provides information about the composer and about each tune. The collection is a project of The Department of Music, University College Cork.
  • Web page: irishtune.info: Torn Jacket – archival information about the tune, curated by Alan Ng