Does anyone play Planxty Irwin in the key of D? I notice that everyone I have heard and the music I see is in the key of G. Those high B’s are a little hard on my ears using my Dixon Trad. (I’m not ready to buy a Burke yet.)
Those high, held B notes are hard with the Burke, too!
I play it on D, but odd, mine doesn’t have a high B, mine only goes to high G…
I do it in G, and I don’t have any problem with the high notes. It’s all about knowing your instrument and being good enough with it to hit the high notes. I don’t think I’ve actually heard anybody do it in D.
One thing: when playing with others, the high B accentuates any tuning discrepencies between whistles. Two slightly out of tune with each other whistles playing the high B can kill brain cells. Often we’ll have just one whistle play the high one and the rest drop down to the lower one.
I’m with Streamwalker, the version I have is in D (from Walton’s Irish Whistle book) and the highest note is second octave G and it’s a lovely version at that.
Same book I got. I will check my other books for different versions.
Thanks. I thought it would sound better in D, but I have always heard it in G.
X: 1
T: Planxty Irwin
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
|:d|g2 f efg|d2 c BAG|c2 A Bcd|F2 G A2 d|
g2 f efg|d2 c BAG|c2 A Bcd|G2 F G2:|
|:d|g2 g gfg|a2 a afd|b2 b a2 g|f2 e def|
g2 f efg|d2 c BAG|c2 A Bcd|G2 F G2:|
There is a 2nd oct B in there.
b2 b a2 g
Its a little up there on a D whistle I guess. It doesn’t bother me though.
I’ve never played it in a session though.
I suppose it might get rather shrill.
I agree you can just drop an octave in that case
B2 B A2 G
Or just play it on a flute or low D and you’ll be just fine. 
Known it for years, play it fairly regularly in sessions, on either flute or whistle - in G. What’s the beef over 2nd 8ve B? Only a problem on a duff whistle!
I’ve played it in D. Here’s a version in D. http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/tab/tab2/irwn.html
You have to pop up an octave for part of it, but it sounds nice. I actually learned it in D from a whistle recording I found somewhere but I can’t remember where. I also have it in D on a recording. I specifically learned it in D to play along to that recording. I prefer it in D myself.
I usually just give the B a little toot and don’t linger on it in a session. The toot serves just fine and the ears don’t mind. I don’t have any trouble playing the B anymore, but it was something to learn how to do without overblowing. If you mute your whistle you can practice the tune in a small room or even the car with no problem.
d|g2g gfg|aba afd|b2b abg|fge def|
The problem is that those high b’s are the melodic and emotional climax of the whole tune! The first and second measures, centered on g and a respectively, climb steadily upward toward those singing, shining b’s, and then quickly back down to d. So dropping the phrase an octave pulls the emotional rug out from under the climax.
In fact, I’d argue that the expressive potential of those high b’s, and the lack of folding compared to playing in D, make G a much better whistle key for the tune.
Thats me… emotional rug puller-er.
Well I never!
Planxty Irwin in G on high D whistle.
a.k.a. Aanvil’s Magic Carpet henceforth - anyone for a trip?
That’s very nice, Jem. Clearly, the high part sounds perfectly natural in G when played well. And now we know what tune Aanvil will be asked for at our next L.A. session! 
Yes.
I’m sure it is better in G, but it’s just too screechy for me. So D with the octave-skip thing it is.
Another question thought: what do people play with it? (as in a set … not what whistle!)
That will be on a flute, good sir… you are the whistle Guru.
I just noticed that O’Neill’s has it in D (in the O Carolyn section)
Here’s a quick run-through of the D version followed by the G version, for comparison, on a Clarke Sweetone.
http://daleth.podbean.com/2007/11/26/planxty-irwin-in-d-vs-g/
A few mistakes in the second half of the D version, because I couldn’t really be arsed to spend much time on it. For my money, I far prefer it in G, because as was said, that high B is essentially the climax of the tune.