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Tag Archives: Tune History

The Lilting Banshee (Ador)

The tune we know as “The Lilting Banshee” is listed as “The Miller of Glanmire” in O’Neill’s Dance Music of Ireland (1907) – called “O’Neill’s 1001” because it has 1001 tunes in it, or called “not the yellow one, the other book.” In fact, this tune has many names, and what it’s called will depend […]

Father O’Flynn’s Jig (D)

“Father O’Flynn’s” jig was more often called “Top of Cork Road” until A. P. Grave’s (the father of poet Robert Graves) wrote lyrics for it in 1906, and called it “Father O’Flynn.” The song became very popular and so the tune took on the new name.  Unfortunately, after writing it A. P. Graves sold it […]

Egan’s Polka (D)

“Egan’s Polka”  is another great tune for teaching polkas – though I have read that players in Glasgow sessions won’t play it.  It is a Kerry polka, and also goes by the name “The Kerry Polka” — as do a number of different Kerry polkas.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is even more confusion about the name […]

Sean Ryan’s Polka (D)

As I mention now and then, tunes named after people usually indicate simply that the person named was fond of playing the tune. At times, however, it is an accurate attribution.  I believe this polka was composed by the prolific composer and fiddle player Sean Ryan (1919-1985) from Nenagh, co. Tipperary, and first cousin of Paddy O’Brien (1922-1991) […]

Breeches Full of Stitches (A)

The polka “Breeches Full of Stitches” is a great tune for beginners, or those first learning Irish polkas.  Some people play this in G, but Kevin Burke plays it in A Ionian.  So, here it’s in A Ionian.  Martin Hayes plays this in his typical slow, deeply emotional way on his first album Martin Hayes […]

Merrily Kiss the Quaker’s Wife (G)

“Merrily Kiss the Quaker’s Wife” is a West Kerry slide.  It’s also called “Merrily Kiss the Quaker.”  As noted in my Tune Dictionary, slides are too often confused with other tune-types, especially single jigs.  At any rate, this tune is sometimes played as a double jig in sessions. Now this tune is old.  Really old! […]

Kid on the Mountain (Eaeol)

In the slip jig “Kid on the Mountain,” the “kid” in the title is a young goat, of course, not some human child stranded on some high wind-blown wintry mountain in Jaunary.  When I play it I like to think of the kid as traversing a rocky slope on a nice Spring day. Now this […]

The Butterfly (Edor)

“The Butterfly” slip jig is very popular among (some) musicians and dancers, and shows up in John Sayles’s much-loved film The Secret of Roan Inish (1994). It is a three-part tune and is played AABBCC. Though commonly called “The Butterfly,” it is claimed to also be called “Bill Grogan’s Goat” or “Barney’s Goat.” As the version of “Barney’s Goat” I looked […]

Ballydesmond Polkas (Ador)

The  three Ballydesmond Polkas can be found on a number of recordings and websites.  The order and numbering given here is from the album entitled The Star Above the Garter, by Denis Murphy (1910-1974) and Julia Clifford (1914–1997), siblings from Sliabh Luachra.  The area called Sliabh Luachra (pronounced Schleeav-lokhra, with the ‘kh” as that middle-of-the-mouth […]

Maggie in the Woods (G)

“Maggie in the Woods” is a popular two-part polka, similar to “The Scartaglen Polka” (also in G), though the latter has three parts. There are some common lyrics to this polka:  If I met Maggie in the wood / I would kiss her if I could / that’s the thing would do her good / […]