Friday 8 May 2026
Tune of the Day: Good Night
Traditional Irish jig
This jig is taken from Francis O'Neill's Music of Ireland (Chicago, 1907), but the same melody had previously appeared, in a different key and under the title “Good Night, Good Night and Joy Be with You”, in George Petrie's Ancient Music of Ireland (Dublin, 1855). Petrie writes that the title “is common to several tunes of a similar character, and indicates the purpose to which they were applied, namely, as farewell dance, or march-tunes, played on the breaking up of festive meetings; and I believe this is, or, perhaps, was, the tune commonly played on such occasions in the province of Connaught.”