Tuamgraney Castle

Hornpipe, A Dorian, Traditional Irish
Also known as Loch Leven Castle; Tuamgraine Castle; Tom Greany’s Castle

Tuamgraney Castle is a traditional Irish hornpipe. Rising from the stones of County Clare, the name Tuamgraney Castle refers to a tower constructed by the O’Grady family to protect the nearby St. Cronan’s Church. Tuamgraney is a village in East County Clare, Ireland. The name Tuamgraney comes from the Irish “Tuaim Gréine,” meaning “Tomb of Gráinne.” (Tuamgraney is pronounced “toom-grainy.”)

Recordings

• Audio – The Ivy Leaf: Tuamgrainy Castle​/​The Home Ruler​/​O’Mahoney’s – played on fiddle and flute, with rhythm backing. From the album The Ivy Leaf (2012).
• Video – Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band: Poll Ha’penny / Tuamgrainey Castle (Hornpipes) – from the album Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band 50th Anniversary
• Video – Tune Supply, Manus McGuire: Tuamgraney Castle/Old + New Copperplates/Mason’s Apron (Micko Russell version) — played on fiddle

Dots (Music Notation)

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.

• Poll Ha’penny (A Mixolydian) / Tuamgraney Castle (A Dorian) / Kitty’s Wedding (D)
  Jump to the Ha’penny Hornpipe Set
• Tuamgrainy Castle ​/​ The Home Ruler​ /​ O’Mahoney’s
• Tuamgraney Castle (A Dorian) / Old Copperplate (G) / New Copperplate (Am) / Mason’s Apron (A)

References and Resources

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

• More recordings
  • Video – The Tulla Ceili Band: Dumphy’s Hornpipe / Tuamgraney Castle (Hornpipes) – from the album 60th Anniversary Celebration
  • Audio – Olympia Traditional Music Sessions: Tuamgraney Castle – Session recording from Olympia, Washington, USA. From the album Cernunnos.
• Books
  • Book: O’Neill: The Dance Music of Ireland, O’Neill’s 1001 – By Francis O’Neill (1848 – 1936). Published in 1907. (This tune is number 949 in the book, “Tomgraney Castle.”)
• Other resources
  • Webpage – Traditional Tune Archive: Tomgraney Castle – archival information about the tune
  • Webpage – TheSession: Loch Leven Castle (Hornpipe) – crowdsourced sheet music and information about the tune
  • Webpage – The Irish Traditional Music Tune Index: Tune ID#3247 (Tuamgraney Castle) – reference details about the tune
  • Article – Tuamgraney, O’Grady’s Castle – one page article with photos of Tuamgraney Castle.
  • Article – East Clare Heritage: O’Gradys of Limerick and Clare – article by Gerard Madden with historical details of the O’Gradys and Tuamgraney.
  • Article – Wikipedia: Tuamgraney – article about the village of Tuamgraney
  • Article: Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell, by Jonathan Lay, TrailJams