Dennis Murphy's Polka — Mandolin Tab

Mandolin tab and sheet music with synced audio · Denis Murphy · Key of D · 200 BPM · 2/2 time · Irish Traditional · Intermediate

Chords used in this arrangement: D, G, Em, A7.

Denis Murphy's Polka has a surprisingly tangled identity. It's been floating around under names like "Casey's," "Flaherty's Favourite," and even "Story of a Fish," and the great Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman recorded it decades before anyone called it Denis Murphy's. The name most people know it by today likely got attached when the Chieftains featured it on one of their early albums, pulling it out of the Kerry-Cork border region of Sliabh Luachra where Denis Murphy, a fiddle master taught by the legendary Pádraig O'Keeffe, was one of its defining voices. That Sliabh Luachra style is worth keeping in mind as you play: polkas from that corner of Ireland have a particular bounce and drive to them, and at 200 BPM you'll want that energy locked in tight from the start. The B-part climbs up into a nice high run, so start slow and learn the tune properly before playing at full speed!

This page includes mandolin tablature, standard music notation, and a chord chart — printable as PDF and playable in sync with the original recording. Change the key, slow the tempo down, and loop the bars you want to practise.