Level: 2
Tuning: Dropped D

"Blarney Pilgrim" appears as tune #1099 in O'Neill's 1850 (1903). There are numbers of variations of this tune at sessions, and quite a bit of confusion over its tonal center - which is really of concern only to those backing/accompanying the tune. The melody was especially popular at sessions in the 1970s, and though a few people may now think of it as somewhat tatty, it is still popular at sessions and so it's a good idea to get a firm hold of it. While some people appear to treat the tune as in G throughout, to my ear it sounds right to think of the A-part and C-part in Dmix and the B-part in G - since the tonal center of the A-part and C-part is D (both using a hexatonic scale), while the tonal center of the B-part is G (using a pentatonic scale). One could, of course accompany it in G the first time through and then "mix it up."

I originally arranged "The Blarney Pilgrim" in Open G tuning. I recorded with John Renbourn as a duet. But that version seemed to miss the mystery and modal texture that the tune offers. I then set the melody in a Dropped D tuning and the results are much more satisfactory. A fun tune to play and add to a medley.