The jig Father O’Flynn, also know as Top Of The Cork Road is named after a legendary person, priest Father O’Flynn from Cork. The tune was originally named Top of the Cork Road until in 1906 when Alfred Perceval Graves wrote lyrics on the melody line. The lyrics were about for Father O’Flynn and all the great work he did for the people in Cork. The song became very popular and the tune took on its new name.

Priest Father O’Flynn was famous for his pioneering work on overcoming speech defects such as stammering. He was also legendary for running a school for drama, music and philosophy above a sweet factory in Cork. Being a great lover of Shakespeare, he turned many people with speech problems into actors and actresses.

In the sheet music below you can find the notes and chords of the jig. If you want to surprise people on an Irish session, don’t forget to download the lyrics….

Father O’Flynn (Top Of The Cork Road) sheet music, notes and chords
Father O’Flynn lyrics

When I was looking for a representative recording of the tune, I came across this video of North Shore Irish Dance Academy. The melody line deviates slightly from how I have written down the notes, but I loved this recording since I believe the dancing must be in the spirit of Father O’Flynn’s work and passion.