The Trip to Durrow

Reel, D, Irish, Attributed to Dan Cleary (1918-2004)
TrailJams Tune of the Week: February 18, 2024; July 5, 2026

A winding Irish reel named for a musicians’ journey through forest and fields.

The Trip to Durrow is attributed to Dan Cleary of Ballinamere, County Offaly, Ireland. The title recalls the journeys Cleary and fellow musician Joe Wyer made to music sessions at the house of Dan’s sister Katie in Durrow, County Offaly, near Tullamore. The tune has an unusual form: it has three parts — A, B, and C — each 8 measures long. The first part repeats, then the B and C parts are played as a pair, and that pair repeats: AABCBC.

Dan [Cleary] and Joe Wyer would go to Irish music sessions at his sister Katie’s house in Durrow. Because Durrow was some distance from Ballinamere, Dan and Joe would take the short cut through fields, over ditches, gaps and stiles in the pitch darkness of night, enduring all the outdoor elements with their fiddles under their arms — and face the same return trip home.

— Hall Fame Ireland: Dan Cleary (1918 – 2004)

There is more than one place called Durrow in Ireland. The Durrow that Dan Cleary refers to in the tune’s title is in County Offaly. This same Durrow is associated with the Book of Durrow, an illuminated Gospel manuscript dated to around the year 700. Another Durrow is in County Laois, near the Kilkenny border and close to where the River Erkina joins the River Nore.

Recordings

• Audio – Comhaltas: Trip to Durrow – session recording, from the album Foinn Seisiún Volume 2
• Video – Shaskeen: Shaskeen / The Piper’s Despair / The Trip to Durrow – from the album CELTSITTOLKE Vol.6. (The Trip to Durrow starts at time 3:00 in this recording.)
• Video – Tunes from Doolin (Charles Monod): The Trip To Durrow (Reel) | Tunes From Doolin | Irish Music – solo concertina

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.

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Barley & Bramble Reel Set: The Trip to Durrow (D) / The Old Bush (D Mixolydian) / The Wind that Shakes the Barley (D)
• Trip to Durrow / Sweeney’s Buttermilk
• Trip to Durrow / The Wise Maid
• Trip to Durrow / The Wise Maid / The Humours of Tulla
• Trip to Durrow / The Wise Maid / The Old Copperplate
• The Trip To Durrow / The Scholar

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Audio – John Weed and Stuart Mason: Trip to Durrow – played slowly on fiddle with guitar. From the album Slow & Easy Volume 2 (San Luis Obispo, California)
  • Video – Bruce Molsky: The Trip to Durrow – fiddle with rhythm guitar, in American old-time style. From the album Warring Cats.
  • Video – The Celtic Fiddle Festival: Trip to Durrow / The Abbey Reel / The Maid Behind the Bar (Live) – Kevin Burke, Christian Lemaítre, André Brunet, Nicolas Quémener. From the album Live in Brittany. Played in the key of G.
  • Video – Star of Munster Ceili Band plays The Trip to Durrow for set dance – Recorded at the Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival, April 2024, in Kelfenora, County Clare, Ireland. The tune is played twice-through to accompany the set dance “Kilfenora”. (The tune and dance start at time 3:15 in the video.) The tempo is about 122 beats per minute, with 2 beats per measure.
• Books
  • Book – John Weed and Stuart Mason: Slow & Easy Volumes 1 and 2
  • Book & Audio – Dave Mallinson: 100 Essential Irish Session Tunes
  • Book – The Portland Collection, Volume 1 – Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest. By Susan Songer with Clyde Curley.
  • Book – Shaskeen: Through the Half Door – a collection of Irish traditional dance session tunes, transcribed from the playing of the band Shaskeen. Edited by David J. Taylor.
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Online Academy of Irish Music: Road to Durrow (Trip to Durrow) – concertina lesson by Edel Fox, with video, downloadable sheet music and audio tracks. Based on the playing of Noel Hill. (Requires subscription to OAIM)
  • Lesson – whistletutor: Trip to Durrow [reel] Tin Whistle Lesson on Lir silver D whistle – video lesson
• Additional Resources
  • Webpage – The Traditional Tune Archive: Trip to Durrow (The) – archival information and sheet music
  • Article – Hall Fame Ireland: Dan Cleary (1918 – 2004) – an illustrated biography of Dan Cleary, including an explanation of the title of “The Trip to Durrow.”
  • Article – Wikipedia: Durrow, County Offaly – a short article about the village of Durrow.