Sunday 9 November 2025
Tune of the Day: Portpatrick
Traditional Scottish jig
The earliest appearance of this jig is in Robert Bremner's A Collection of Scots Reels or Country Dances, published in London in 1757.
Portpatrick is a coastal village in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland, with a sheltered harbor. It was a ferry port of passengers, postal mail and freight between Ireland and Scotland. At one time it was a destination for couples from Ireland seeking a quick wedding.
According to musician Alison Kinnaird, however, Port simply means a ‛tune’ in harp repertory—in other words, “Patrick's tune”. Musicologist John Purser disagrees, and is of the opinion that the title does refer to the town, and not to an older harp tune.