The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) is committed to providing free, universal access to the rich cultural tradition of Irish music, song and dance. If you’re able, we’d love for you to consider a donation. Any level of support will help us preserve and grow this tradition for future generations.
When I first heard this one, I wanted to play it, and know it on the spot. Joe Burke was recorded playing it at a prize-winning concert in 1961 and later his performance was aired on Ciarán Mac Mathúna’s radio programme, ‘A Job of Journeywork’. It was four years later before I was able to record a repeat of Joe’s playing of it with my new reel-to-reel device, which I had set up for recording every Tuesday night when Ciarán came on the air. The tune is named after the townsland of Ballinakill, Co. Galway, which is famous for its ceilf band of the 1940s and 1950s.
(3DEF | GF (3GFE DG,B,D | GF GA Bd gf | ed cB AB GA |
BA GF E2 (3DEF | GF (3GFE DG,B,D | GF GA Bd gf | ed cB AB GA |
(3BdB G2 G2 (3DEF || GA (3GFE DG,B,D | GF GA Bd gf | ed cB AB GA |
BA GF E2 (3DEF | GA (3GFE DG,B,D | GF GA Bd gf | ed cB AB GA |
(3BdB G2 G2 (3ABc || d^c de dB GA | GB d^c dg fg | ef ge dB (3GAB |
cA BG AD EF | GA GE DG, B,D | GF GA Bdgf | ed cB AB GA |
(3BdB G2 G2 (3ABc || d^c de dB GA | GB d^c dg fg | ef ge dB (3GAB |
cA BG AD EF | GA GE DG, B,D | GF GA Bdgf | ed cB AB GA |
(3BdB G2{/c} G2 (3DEF || GA (3GFE DG,B,D | GF GA Bd gf | ed cB ABGA |
BA GF E2 (3DEF | G2 GE DG, B,D | GF GA Bd gf | ed cB AB GA |
(3BdB G2 G2 (3DEF || GA (3GFE DG,B,D | GF GA Bd gf | ed cB AB GA |
BA GF E2 (3DEF | GA (3GFE DG,B,D | GF GA Bd gf | ed cB AB GA |
(3BdB G2 G2 Bc || d^c de dB GA | GB d^c dg fg | ef ge dG AB |
cA BG AD EF | GA (3GFE DG,B,D | GF GA Bd gf | ed{/e} cB ABGA |
(3BdB G2 G2 Bc || d^c de dB GA | GB d^c dg fg | ef ge dG AB |
cA (3BAG ADEF | GA (3GFE DG,B,D | GF GA Bd gf | ed cB AB GA |
(3BdB G2{/c} G4 |