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The Boys Of Portaferry sheet music

The Boys of Portaferry is carried here as a tune with several notated versions rather than as a work with a named composer: no composer is credited on any of the three scores, and all are grouped under a general tunes listing. Every available score opens in G major with a one-sharp key signature, but the settings diverge elsewhere — two are written in 4/4 and one in 2/2, and the notated lengths range from roughly 40 seconds to about 3 minutes 20 seconds as timed in the catalogue. Treat each score as one particular setting of the tune, not as an authoritative text, and compare metre, length and layout before choosing one for performance or practice.

Scores 1–20 of 20

Sheet music

Comparing the three available settings

The three scores share a title, an opening key of G major and a single part, but little else. One is set in 4/4 with 137 notes and a listed duration of about 40 seconds; a second is also in 4/4 with 232 notes, a listed opening tempo of 116 BPM and a duration of about 66 seconds; the third is in 2/2 with 356 notes and a listed duration of about 3 minutes 20 seconds. Since the longer timings may reflect repeats or playback settings rather than more music, read the metres and note counts as the more concrete differences between them.

What 4/4 and 2/2 mean for playing this tune

The choice between the two 4/4 settings and the 2/2 setting is a practical one. In 4/4 the bar is counted in four beats, while 2/2 counts two minim beats per bar, which usually changes beaming, accent and the visual grouping of the notes even where the underlying melody is similar. If you are playing with a group that counts in two, the 2/2 score will read more naturally; if you are working from a four-beat pulse, one of the 4/4 versions is the easier starting point.

A single key does not mean identical versions

All three scores open with one sharp, indicating G major, so transposition is not the reason to prefer one over another. Differences in length, metre and note count suggest contrasting arrangements or levels of decoration rather than alternative keys. Play or read through the openings of each before committing, and check whether the version you choose matches the range and counting habits of your instrument or session.

Where the evidence stops

No composer, date, region of origin, dance type or original instrumentation is documented in the material supplied for this page, and no external reference text was available to confirm them. Descriptions here are limited to what the three scores themselves record.

Scores to open first

Related collections

Common questions

What key is The Boys of Portaferry written in?

All three scores of The Boys of Portaferry available here open with a key signature of one sharp, which indicates G major. Because the settings differ in metre and length, the shared key is one of the few features they have in common, and it does not mean the versions are otherwise identical.

Why do the available versions have different time signatures?

The catalogue lists two settings of The Boys of Portaferry in 4/4 and one in 2/2. Both signatures describe the same kind of bar length in different ways: 4/4 counts four crotchet beats, while 2/2 counts two minim beats, so the notation is beamed and accented differently. The choice affects how the tune looks on the page and how a player or group counts it.

Who composed The Boys of Portaferry?

No composer is credited on any of the scores listed under The Boys of Portaferry, and the tune is grouped in a general miscellaneous tunes collection. The material supplied does not establish an author, a date of composition or a place of origin, so the piece is best described as a tune of unattributed authorship in these listings rather than assigned to a named composer.

Does one of the scores include a tempo marking?

One setting of The Boys of Portaferry, the 4/4 version with 232 notes, carries a listed opening tempo of 116 BPM. The other two settings record no tempo. Treat that figure as describing one particular score rather than a fixed speed for the tune, since tempo in this repertoire usually depends on the players and the occasion.

How long do the different settings of the tune last?

Listed durations for The Boys of Portaferry range from about 40 seconds for the 137-note 4/4 setting to about 3 minutes 20 seconds for the 356-note 2/2 setting, with the 232-note 4/4 version at roughly 66 seconds. Length differences of this size more often reflect repeats or playback settings than genuinely different amounts of music, so compare the scores themselves rather than relying on duration alone.