The Bridge Of Athlone jig

This tune is used as the lead tune for the dance of that same name. It’s also useful for similiar dances requiring 48-bar jigs, e.g. "The Waves of Tory"

It has no connection whatsover with the 32-bar hornpipe called "The Bridge of Athlone" already posted to session.org.

For those interested, here are the instructions for the dance:

Bridge of Athlone (Five-couple set)
———————————————————————-

Tune: Bridge of Athlone (or similar jigs) 5 x 48 bars.

1- 8 All Adv+Ret, all advance to opposite sides ladies dancing under mens’ arms.

9-16 All Adv+Ret, all advance to own sides ladies dancing under mens’ arms.

17-24 1s slip step to bottom and back.

25-32 1s followed by 2s+3s+4s+5s cast to bottom and 1s make an arch, 2s+3s+4s+5s dance under arch and up to new places and make arches.

33-40 1L dances up under arches as 1M casts to top, 1M dances down under arches as 1L casts to bottom.

41-48 All swing partners.

X: 2
T: Bridge of Athlone, The
T: Droichead Átha Luain
B: "The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music, Volume III",1927, Page 44, tune #140
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
(A2 !tenuto!A) ABc | d2 (A F)DF | A2 (G E)FG | B2 (A F)DF |
(A2 !tenuto!A) ABc | dfd (A2 !tenuto!F) | GBA GFE | D3 D2 ||
A |\
(f2 !tenuto!d) AFA | (f2 !tenuto!d) AFA | (g2 !tenuto!e) cde | dcB (A2 !tenuto!A) |
(f2 !tenuto!d) AFA | (f2 !tenuto!d) (A2 !tenuto!A) | Aef gfe | dfe dcB ||
(A2 !tenuto!A) (A2 !tenuto!A) | ABA ABA | (A2 !tenuto!d) {e/}dcd |edB AFG |
(A2 !tenuto!A) (A2 !tenuto!A) | ABA Acd | (e2 !tenuto!e) efe | d3 d2 ||
e/f/ |\
(g2 !tenuto!g) efg | (f2 !tenuto!f) fed | (e2 d) {e/}dcd | ecA A>ef |
(g2 !tenuto!g) efg | (f2 !tenuto!f) fed | ecA Acd | efe dcB |]

@Ceol - thanks for that!

It’s interesting to note that the tune goes back more than 85 years. Certainly the same tune. Strange that no-one had posted it before.

But I don’t quite understand the abc in the setting that you’ve posted above.

1) Why 4/4 and not 6/8 ?

2) Why no K: line ?

3) What is: !tenuto! that crops out throughout the abc?

M: 4/4 ~ that was my mistake… I was working on several different transcriptions at the same time and must have cut and pasted from the wrong one for the time signature… And I missed the K: line too.

‘Tenuto’ ~ that’s exactly how the Roche collection has this one. Here it is simplified, which I was planed to add,along with another bit on the dance(s) ~ and then I got distracted. But at least this time I can get things corrected and complete ~ 😀

X: 2
T: Bridge of Athlone, The
T: Droichead Átha Luain
B: "The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music, Volume III",1927, Page 44, tune #140
N: simplified
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: DMaj
A2 A ABc | d2 A FDF | A2 G EFG | B2 A FDF |
A2 A ABc | dfd A2 F | GBA GFE | D3 D2 ||
A |\
f2 d AFA | f2 d AFA | g2 e cde | dcB A2 A |
f2 d AFA | f2 d A2 A | Aef gfe | dfe dcB ||
A2 A A2 A | ABA ABA | A2 d dcd |edB AFG |
A2 A A2 A | ABA Acd | e2 e efe | d3 d2 ||
e/f/ |\
g2 g efg | f2 f fed | e2 d dcd | ecA A>ef |
g2 g efg | f2 f fed | ecA Acd | efe dcB |]
(A2 !tenuto!A) ABc | d2 (A F)DF | A2 (G E)FG | B2 (A F)DF |
(A2 !tenuto!A) ABc | dfd (A2 !tenuto!F) | GBA GFE | D3 D2 ||
A |\
(f2 !tenuto!d) AFA | (f2 !tenuto!d) AFA | (g2 !tenuto!e) cde | dcB (A2 !tenuto!A) |
(f2 !tenuto!d) AFA | (f2 !tenuto!d) (A2 !tenuto!A) | Aef gfe | dfe dcB ||
(A2 !tenuto!A) (A2 !tenuto!A) | ABA ABA | (A2 !tenuto!d) {e/}dcd |edB AFG |
(A2 !tenuto!A) (A2 !tenuto!A) | ABA Acd | (e2 !tenuto!e) efe | d3 d2 ||
e/f/ |\
(g2 !tenuto!g) efg | (f2 !tenuto!f) fed | (e2 d) {e/}dcd | ecA A>ef |
(g2 !tenuto!g) efg | (f2 !tenuto!f) fed | ecA Acd | efe dcB |]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenuto

"This symbol has several meanings: It may indicate that a note be played for its full value, or slightly longer; it may indicate a slight dynamic emphasis; or it may indicate a separate attack on a note. It may be combined with a staccato dot to indicate a slight detachment ("portato" or "mezzo staccato")".

As I remember it, we also used it to signify legato…

An ‘emphatic’ legato? 😏 😀

Hmmm! Something happened to my notes above, which were ~

N: simplified first, then exactly as given in Roche

I know this tune somewhat differently, but I haven’t found notes for it yet and would prefer that to my ‘creative’ remembering… 😎

Submitted on May 18th 2004 by Johnny Jay.
https://thesession.org/tunes/3030

Compare the first two parts of "The Bridge of Athlone" to the last two of "Off To Puck Fair", parts 5 & 6 of six parts:

S: "Mick Moloney: Strings Attached"
K: DMaj
P: part 5 of 6
|: F/G/ |\
ABA ABc | d2 A FDF | F2 G EDE | B2 A F2 G |
ABA ABc | dfd AFD | GBA GFE | D3 D2 :|
P: part 6 of 6
|: e |\
f2 d AFA | f2 d Afa | g2 f e2 d | c/d/ec AFA |
f2 d AFA | f2 d AFA | Bgf edc | d3 d2 :|

This is closer to how I know those parts…

Sounds like a Spoonerism: "Off to… a pair/pear"!

I haven’t yet found that sought for transcription of the past for this old single jig, but here’s how it comes out with me, with three parts. I will keep looking, but maybe this will jog someone else’s memory. I have included some variations where things generally repeat, such as bars 5 & 6 of the A-part… The swung beats of E>FG and A>BA suggest a Scottish influence on my playing of it, most probably Cape Breton.

X: 3
T: ???
T: Bridge of Athlone, The
T: Droichead Átha Luain
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: DMaj
|: c/B/ |\
ABA ABc | d2 A FDF | A2 G E>FG | B2 A F2 G |
A2 F ABc | dfd AFD | A2 G E2 C | D3 D2 :|
|: F/G/ |\
A2 G E>FG | B2 A F2 G | A2 G E2 F | D2 F A2 d |
A2 G E>FG | B2 A F2 G | A>BA GFE | D3 D2 :|
|: A |\
f2 d AFA | f2 d A2 f | g2 e c2 B | Ace bag |
f2 d AF/G/A | f2 d A2 F | E>FG ABc | d3 d2 :|

Other places where it sometimes swings ~ |: B | A>BA A>Bc | ~

I also sometimes play that 3rd lead-in ~ |: A/d/ |\

And ~ another bit of fun with the penultimate and final bar ~

~ | EE/F/G AA/B/c | d3- d2 :| ~ and it could also end ~ | d3 D2 :|

Here’s Ceolachan’s first four-part setting from Roche; just adding it so the page displays the dots.