Daily Archives: May 4, 2014
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 itâs in A Ionian. Martin Hayes plays this in his typical slow, deeply emotional way on his first album Martin Hayes […]
Padraig OâKeefeâs #2 (D)
This is one of the slides called âPadraig OâKeefeâsâ (sometimes spelled âOâKeeffeâsâ or even “O’Keeff’s”). Â There is no common numbering as far as I’ve been able to tell. Â I call this “#2” just because I know another O’Keefe slide. Â Padraig OâKeefe (1887 â 1963) is from the region called Sliabh Luachra (pronounced Schleeav-lokhra), at the […]
A Fig for a Kiss (G)
This slip jig is usually called “A Fig for a Kiss.”  Now, people like to speculate about tune titles, and this one seems to confuse people pretty often, given the things posted about it online — not to mention the very different things that are designated by the word “fig.”  However, itâs actually not hard to understand […]
Kid on the Mountain (Eaeol)
In the slip jig “Kid on the Mountain,” the âkidâ in the title is a young goat, of course, not some human child stranded on some high wind-blown wintry mountain in Jaunary. Â When I play it I like to think of the kid as traversing a rocky slope on a nice Spring day. Now this […]
Hardiman the Fiddler (Dmix)
The slip jig “Hardiman the Fiddler” is thought to have been named in honor of James Hardiman, who was the first librarian of Queenâs College in Galway and author of Irish Minstrelsy: Or Bardic Remains (1831). This tune probably dates back to his time. It shows up in OâNeillâs 1850 as tune #1117, and OâNeillâs 1001 as […]
The Butterfly (Edor)
“The Butterfly” slip jig is very popular among (some) musicians and dancers, and shows up in John Saylesâs much-loved film The Secret of Roan Inish (1994). It is a three-part tune and is played AABBCC. Though commonly called âThe Butterfly,â it is claimed to also be called âBill Groganâs Goatâ or âBarneyâs Goat.â 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 (1914â1997), siblings from Sliabh Luachra.  The area called Sliabh Luachra (pronounced Schleeav-lokhra, with the âkhâ as that middle-of-the-mouth […]
Bill Sullivanâs (A)
The polka “Bill Sullivanâs” is also called âMickey Chewing Bubblegum,â but sometimes called âKevin Burkeâsâ because he teaches it on DVD #1 of a pair entitled “Learn to Play Irish Fiddle: Polkas, Jigs & Slides” (Homespun Videos, 2002). Â It’s interesting that it’s acquired the title “Kevin Burke’s” because he himself calls it âBill Sullivanâsâ on […]
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 OâBrien (1922-1991) […]