“Carrickfergus” is an Irish folk song whose expressive melody and themes of longing and nostalgia have always pulled at my heartstrings. It’s been suggested that the song may originate in the 18th-century air “Do Bhí Bean Uasal” (“There Was a Noblewoman”), and over time it has been recorded by artists including Van Morrison, Joan Baez, and Bryan Ferry. Having grown up playing folk music, I’ve always loved arranging traditional songs for guitar, and I included my version of “Carrickfergus” on my debut album, This Changing Sky.
My approach to arranging for classical guitar is all about resonance and letting the melody sing. I tend to favor textures that allow the instrument to breathe. This arrangement—and my suggested fingerings—is very melody driven. For example, at the beginning I place the melody high on the second string, which helps me create an expressive sound with vibrato. It also allows me to keep all the melody notes in bars 1–2 on the same string, a strategy classical guitarists often use to let a line sing.
Around the melody, I look for shapes that offer a pleasing over-ring—often a mix of open and stopped strings that feels resonant and natural. As a result, some chord shapes in this arrangement may feel a little unusual or unfamiliar, simply because they aren’t standard voicings. I like to keep the harmonies simple but to add small touches of “juice” for color and expression—perhaps a seventh in a minor chord or an occasional suspension in the accompaniment.
When performing the arrangement, I aim to bring out the melody (indicated by upward stems) and to keep the accompaniment (downward stems) slightly softer. This is especially important in places like bar 1, where the accompaniment actually rises above the melody, and at the end of bar 19 into bar 20, where there’s a suspension in the accompaniment that I like to highlight gently, without overshadowing the melodic line. I try to keep the melody legato and ringing, shaping it as expressively as possible.
One final note concerns rhythm. The accompaniment does not always follow a regular pattern; instead, it weaves around the melody in different ways. Sometimes there’s a continuous string of eighth notes shared between the two voices; other times a lone quarter or half note appears. I suggest being especially mindful of these rhythms so that the melody comes through clearly and each bar maintains its full four beats. Enjoy!
There are two ways to access the musical notation and tab for this song: Join our community at patreon.com/acousticguitarplus OR buy the Spring 2026 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
