Songs with dance tunes as the melody (in English)

I know of quite a few & they are generally much more palatable then the run of the mill rebel/puke in your beer sing-a-long’s that most americans have come to expect.

Off the top of my head I can recall The Rakes of Kildare, Nell Flaherty’s Drake, Rocky Road to Dublin etc.

I’ve heard many (especially slip jigs) with Irish lyrics, I enjoy listening to them - but I’m not an Irish speaker.

Please point me in the direction of more songs like these.
Thanks

How about Páidín Ó Raifeartaigh, Cúnla, Na Ceannabháin Bhána, Lannigan’s Ball…to name but a few.

The Girl I Left Behind Me
Garryowen
Larry O’Gaff
Christmas in Kilarney 😀
Peggy Lettermore

Oops! Forgot the ‘not an Irish speaker’ bit. Still nice tunes though.

@amhrán I’m familiar with all of those.
@gravelwalks - Do you have some link to Christmas in Kilarney
Peggy Lettermore I don’t think I’ve heard words to those. I’ll pass on the first two though, a bit hackneyed to say the least. I’ve heard Humours of Whiskey sang to Larry O’Gaff’s but I can’t remember all 5000 verses

No old Bing Crosby albums, Mad Baloney?
“Christmas In Killarney”
Submitted on December 14th 2001 by Will Harmon.
https://thesession.org/tunes/434
https://thesession.org/tunes/soundfiles/christmasinkillarney1.mid 😉

You might try writing some lyrics of your own, for trad melodies. Finn MacGinty made a nice song out of a slowed-down version of “The Scholar,” for example.

Or something humorous--isn’t there a YouTube clip of a young Kevin Burke singing something like that?

Brad, I realize you’re asking for English lyric versions, so I apologize in advance for the links below; as they’re not what you’re looking for. Having said that, my heart sinks a little each time I hear someone refer to this tune/song as hackneyed ~

Kayla Nic Dhunnacha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBJJV7Wzi2o

play video

Sean Nós Singing with Beth Benedetto
An Spailpín Fánach @ 7:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRIA9NmZm1k

play video

How about this?

http://www.contemplator.com/england/nelson.html

Sometimes used as a calling-on song for the Morris dance version of Princess Royal.

Planxty ~ “Cùnla”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqSaWpYEwY0

play video

That Kevin Burke song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuDuvbDFdis

play video

This isn’t Kevin Burke singing, but from the thread about that he does, sing this one > >
“In Praise of the City of Mullingar”*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbJXkpqYKJ0

play video

*Re: Kevin Burke Singing
October 20th 2011 by MacCruiskeen
https://thesession.org/discussions/28640#comment608916

The next one has lyrics on a screen behind the band …
“The cat she went a hunting” by Sonny Condell
Dervish w/Sonny Condell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOqiqBWAqcs

play video

“The Dean’s Pamphlet” words by Dean Swift (satire against himself) to tune Tatter Jack Walsh from Liam O’Flynn’s “Out to another side”

It isn’t Irish but Princess Royal has words. Rakes of Mallow is another polka with words. Peggy Lettermore is sun in Irish (Peigin Leitir Mor) but there are English words, and you can always make some up if you don’t like those.

Luke Kelly ~ “Take Her Up To Monto”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wny_0pi4hR4

play video

Thanks, I’m looking more along the lines of songs with dance tunes as melodies, not marches or O’carolan pieces. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0Y3hv2D3co

play video

There’s that slip jig that starts with the line, “There’s Pat come over the hill today - his true love came to see.”
or The Peeler & the Goat or something like this http://youtu.be/Tt_pBC91_Cs not wild about the style of this but at least it’s a real reel.

play video

http://c0383352.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/audio/T3328R06.mp3
more like this please

The Star of the County Down, sung in 2/4, is played as a waltz in 3/4.
Red-Haired Boy.
Irish Washerwoman.
Numerous American tunes/songs.
vlnplyr

Brian O lynn,
Humours of Whiskey, (stick to the crathur)
Molly Brannigan,
Little Pack of Tailors,
Hot Ashphalt,

All are tunes youd probabliy play without knowing the song
Where as many others are primarily heard as the song if you get my drift

The Cathal Mconnell song with all the tune names and lilting bwt each verse, sung to Bonnie Kate I think

The Spanish Lady! I can’t believe no-one mentioned that one.
O’Rourke’s Feast, The Kerry Christening, there’s no shortage of them.

My father loves Nikita Kruschev

The songs of Con “Fada” Ó Drisceoil - King Lear to the tune of Tatter Jack Walsh, etc. etc.

The Newfoundland song “Tickle Cove Pond” uses Tatter Jack Walsh as a melody as well, although it changes the time signature to 3/4 and changes all the C naturals to C sharps.