Mickey Mor Doherty’s March (polka) on The Session

Also known as Cailin Dub Na Eadaig Gorm, Cailín Dubh Na Eadaig Gorm, Dark Girl Dressed In Blue, The Dark Girl Dressed In Blue, Mickey ‘Mór’ Doherty’s March, Mickey Mor’s March, Mickey Mórs’ March, Pumpkin Head, Pumpkinhead, Punkin Head.

Thirteen comments

"Mickey ‘Mor’ Doherty’s March" ~ Transcribed from the fiddling of Mick Doherty the younger

In duet with Robert Zielinski on the CD recording "Out West", the first track…
https://thesession.org/recordings/display/4168

"Over the Waterfall"

Submitted on December 24th 2005 by bluemandolin.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5353

Thanks to Jack Campin for helping my muddled memory and giving me guidance, also to Mix who also sent me a welcome email and transcription, and I’ll add the ABCs for that later.

In my laziness I started up a discussion that both responded to:

Discussion: Another orphan melody in search of names ~ crossing traditions
# Posted on June 15th 2012 by ceolachan
~ /discussions/30063

I suspect, if Jeremy let’s this remain, he’ll move anything relevant from there to here. Or, I’ll do that and send him the link to axe the discussion…

Mick Doherty, in the wild west of Australia, in his 80s and nephew to the Donegal fiddler Johnny Doherty, links this back to his grandfather Mickey Mór Doherty ~ fiddler and player of the warpipes, and Johnny Doherty’s father…

"The Dark Girl Dressed In Blue" ~ another popular name for this

~ and also played AABB. Transcriptions of that nature will follow, and any others are most welcome…

In Discussion: Another orphan melody in search of names ~ crossing traditions

# Posted on June 15th 2012 by ceolachan
~ /discussions/30063

I know, I’m a lazy ol’ sod, but I thought I might get away with it this time and see if any of you ~ without me saying too much ~ can come up with some names and associations for this little melody. I know it in my heart as having air in North America and over here, including Ireland, without any specifics yet. It has been known as both an American old time breakdown and a 2/4 march.

# Posted on June 15th 2012 by ceolachan

It’s "Over the Waterfall" in the US - a variant of the English tune "The Dark Girl Dressed in Blue".

# Posted on June 15th 2012 by Jack Campin

That’s what was niggling in the back of my head, "Over the Waterfall" ~ t’other way round… Thanks Jack, I knew someone would have it and it’s no surprise it’s you. Your help, experience and knowledge is appreciated.

# Posted on June 15th 2012 by ceolachan

Has anyone come across it as a fife march?

I’ve known this with a bit of syncopation…

# Posted on June 15th 2012 by ceolachan

I haven’t checked your ABC there, but "Over the Waterfall" is very close to a Newfoundland single called "Off Go Those St. John’s Girls".

I think of "Dark Girl Dressed in Blue" as the slide most people call "Denis Murphy’s"…

# Posted on June 16th 2012 by Sol Foster

@Ceol ~ In my neck of the woods, the tune that you posted is certainly known as "Dark Girl Dressed in Blue".

As has already been noted, the tune is similar to "Over the Waterfall" - but with the "A" and "B" parts reversed plus a few other minor differences in notation.

Oddly enough, it was played at one of my local sessions only last week - by me!

- Mix

# Posted on June 16th 2012 by Mix O’Lydian

"Dark Girl Dressed in Blue" ~ transcription courtesy of Mix O’Lydian

X: 2
T: Dark Girl Dressed in Blue
Z: Mix
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: DMix
|: "D" A>G FG | "F" A/B/c/A/ "G" BG | "D" A>G FG | "A" A/d/"D"d/^c/ d2 |
"D" A>G FG | "Am" A/B/c/A/ "G" BG | "D" Ad "A" ^c/d/e |[1 "D" d2 d2 :|[2 "D" d2- d>e ||
|: "D" fa "C" g/f/e | "D" d>B Ae | "D" fa "C" g/f/e | "D" d2- d>e |
"D" fa "C" g/f/e | "D" d>B AB | "Am" cB AF | "G" GA/B/ "C" c"G"B :|

"The Dark Girl Dressed in Blue" ~ country dance, 1860s

X: 3
T: Dark Girl Dressed in Blue, The
B: "Thomas Westrop’s 120 Country Dances", 1860’s - WES.041
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
Q: 1/4=115
R: Country Dance
K: FMaj
A/B/ |\
cc d>B | c>A F>e | ff ge | f3 A/B/ |
cc d>B | cA G(A/B/) | cc BG | F3 ||
g |\
aa bg | fe c>g |aa bg | f2 eg |
aa ba/g/ | fe c c/d/ | _ee d>A | B3 |]

Supposedly this collection has been transcribed into ABC for ‘The Village Music Project’, but I couldn’t find it? The above was extracted with some changes from just such a transcription, one done in 2010 by a Ruairidh Greig… I had hoped to see and add a transcription of the dance… Maybe someone else will have better luck.

http://www.village-music-project.org.uk/

Here’s a transposition of the above to aid comparison…

X: 4
T: Dark Girl Dressed in Blue, The
B: "Thomas Westrop’s 120 Country Dances", 1860s - WES.041
N: transposed from F to D
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
Q: 1/4=115
R: Country Dance
K: DMaj
F/G/ |\
AA B>G | A>F D>c | dd ec | d3 F/G/ |
AA B>G | AF EF/G/ | AA GE | D3 ||
e |\
ff ge | dc A>e | ff ge | d2 ce |
ff gf/e/ | dc AA/B/ | =cc B>F | G3 |]

http://www.last.fm/music/Johnny+Doherty/_/The+Dark+Girl+Dressed+In+Blue

(preview of the track from "Traditional Dance Music of Ireland"

Dark Girl dressed in Blue - Westrop - VMP

The absence of the Westrop ABC file from the Village Music Project website mentioned by Ceolachan is because most recent VMP files are now being accessed via
http://folkopedia.efdss.org/wiki/List_of_historical_tunebooks,_some_of_which_are_available_on_the_internet
This is due to circumstances beyond my control.

X:2 "Dark Girl Dressed in Blue"

# Posted on June 16th 2012 by Mix O’Lydian

X:3 "The Dark Girl Dressed in Blue" - B Mixolydian

S: "Thomas Westrop’s 120 Country Dances ~", 1860s?, page 8, tune #41

X:4 "The Dark Girl Dressed in Blue" - transposed from B to D Mixolydian