I am like brand new to this and I keep reading people speak about tabs. A quick search did not return an obvious answer, so I will ask it here – what are tabs with respect to tin whistles/music?
´Tab´ or ´tabs´is short for ´tablature´. https://www.google.com/search?q=tablature&rlz=1CAEAQE_enUS876&oq=tablature&aqs=chrome..69i57.5350j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Bob
Whistle tab shows you which holes to cover, or leave uncovered, to produce music.
Here is a site for some whistle tabs.
https://www.whistletabs.com/
Here is a video explanation of using them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXuxzKfuEaQ
That is what I like about forums. You just have to ask and someone will have an answer! 
It’s interesting that you’re hearing people talking about tabs, because I’ve been on this site for years, and tabs are rarely mentioned.
I think tabs are far more common with fretted instruments than woodwind instruments.
Since you read music and are familiar with band instruments, I feel there’s no reason for you to delve into tabs. The whole purpose appears to be to serve people who cannot read music.
However, since you’re coming from the normal music world, one thing that is extremely common in Irish trad music, which will probably be new to you, is ABC notation.
I’d never heard of it! I read normal music (staff notation). I thought everybody did. But in fact there’s a vast number of Irish trad players who can’t read ordinary staff notation, but who can fluently read ABC notation.
Here, check out this music, they have everything both in ordinary staff notation and in ABC notation:
https://thesession.org/tunes/71
Just to see what ABC notation looks like, here it is.
It used to look like gibberish to me. Now I can read it fairly well.
T: Morrison’s
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Edor
|:E3 B3|EBE AFD|EDE B3|dcB AFD|
E3 B3|EBE AFD|G3 FGA|dAG FED:|
Bee fee|aee fee|Bee fee|a2g fed|
Bee fee|aee fee|gfe d2A|BAG FGA|
Bee fee|aee fee|Bee fee|faf def|
g3 gfe|def g2d|edc d2A|BAG FED|
But you can still be able to read music and not be able to connect finger configuration with stave position. I can interpret the treble cleff just fine but I can’t find C4 on an oboe.
I do refer to tabs as “fingering tabs” for the non-staff notation readers. And I like to save a library of tunes showing each, staff notation, fingering tabs, ABC notation, and YouTube sample or two (added) if the tune fits on a single sheet of music. I don’t like multiple page turning. And in the ABC I will add/edit the source (thesession.org) citing where located.
Please disregard the number 1 in upper right of page as its just a page number that is not relevant to the music.
I’d rather say it shows you which holes to cover or uncover to produce (the notes of) a melody. Tabs tell you nothing about rhythm, which is the other half you need to produce music. Staff notation tells you notes and rhythm (although there are those here who will tell you that staff notation doesn’t tell the whole story of the rhythm of Irish trad).
I find that when I get involved in a new field of interest I have to learn new terminology. Sometimes I wish there was glossary of terms for new folks! I am guessing that “trad” is a short form of “traditional”?
As I have been exploring tin whistles on the internet, I have seen the term “tabs” used, not necessarily on this forum – but this is a great place to ask questions.
I had seen the term ABC notation but not delved into it. It took a bit of looking at your example and the link to figure out the significance of the uppercase vs. lowercase letters and the numbers following some of the letters!
Reading music, the music staff makes more sense to me at this point in time. I see notes on the staff without thinking about what the fingering is for that note. It is kind of like learning Morse Code as sound groups rather than dits and dahs.
When delving further it may be handy to know about this http://www.mandolintab.net/abcconverter.php Some of use ABC a lot but mainly as a way of getting a neat score when many of the ones available are not quite what the people we play with play.
Welcome. I like the Morse code analogy. As a kid I wish someone had pointed out earlier that people playing music where not remembering where to put their fingers all the time. Its a pity I didn’t make the Morse code connection as one of my elders was fluent and had specifically advised me to get used to the sound of a letter rather than thinking about and trying to remember dots and dashes. He heard it as words.
The Morse Code analogy is particularly apt for the various rhythmic groups. If you can follow a good ´fist´ with ´swing´ you will find this an invaluable skill for introducing ´swing´ and ´lift´ into your playing. One of the sessions I have attended in the past had a number of tunes that were ´swung´ as a matter of course. A couple of terms of note in ITM (Irish Traditional Music) are ´swing´ and ´nyah´ (or N-y-y-a-a-h 
), and ´lift´. The ´lift´ and ´swing´ of the tune would have more to do with rhythm, and the ´nyah´ I think has more to do with ´bent´ notes. . .sliding up to a note, sliding down, deliberately being microtonally sharp or flat on certain notes (some people call them ´Green Notes´ ). These are very difficult to notate with any of the generally used notation systems, and the reason you are told to Listen, Listen, and Listen some more. You really don´t want to be the guy with a cloth-ear and the ´Murican Accent.
Bob