Dálaigh’s polka

Source: Beginish : “Stormy Weather”
Transcription: Gian Marco Pietrasanta

This is related to I’ll Buy Boots for Maggie
( https://thesession.org/tunes/1169 )
the A- and B-parts being reversed.

To my ears this is not the same polka that’s on Lunasa’s Redwood. They call it “West Kerry Polka” but there are many tunes by that name…

This is the same polka played by Four Men and a Dog on “Maybe Tonight” , 2nd tune of their West Kerry Set.

I don’t know what it’s called rightly…

# Posted on February 20th 2007 by brotherstorm
https://thesession.org/discussions/12751

T: gan ainm polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
|: E>F GF | Ee dB |1 GF/G/ AF |EF D2 :|2 GF/G/ AF | FE/D/ E2 ||
|: Be e>f | gf ed |1 Bd d>e | dc BA :|2 GF/G/ AF | FE/D/ E2 ||

I learned it as “Bobenheim Polka II” but I doubt it’s the original name. ~ brotherstorm

Here it is again, my rewrite of the previous,
with key correction and as they usually come, 32 bars worth:

M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: E Dorian
|: E>F GF | Ee dB | GF/G/ AF |EF D2 |
E>F GF | Ee dB | GF/G/ AF |FE/D/ E2 :|
|: Be e>f | gf ed | Bd d>e | dc BA |
Be e>f | gf ed | GF/G/ AF | FE/D/ E2 :|

This is one of a couple of untitled polkas to be found on Michael Tubridy’s The Eagle’s Whistle LP. On the sleeve he says:

“[These] three polka…were often played for the first four figures of the Plain Set. It was not usual for tunes to be played in groups as they are now - one tune sufficed for each figure of the set - occasionally one of the better or more adventurous musicians would change into a second tune in the middle of one of the longer figures.”

The first polka in his set is
“Ballydesmond Polka No.3” https://thesession.org/tunes/1410
The second is “The Lass of Gowrie” https://thesession.org/tunes/1792

I agree, definately not the one on lúnasa’s CD. That one sounds more akin to Ègans.

West Kerry, as is also true for “The West Kerry Set”, is famous for polkas, lots of them, and way back when a good lot of them were nameless, ‘gan ainm’… To tie these to geography was not uncommon, and more than one tune has been given that identification with “West Kerry”…

Source: An Toilean Aerach by Johnny Connolly
Transcription: gian marco pietrasanta

This is very similar to I’ll Buy Boots for Maggie/Cormcroe Abbey
https://thesession.org/tunes/8485
https://thesession.org/tunes/1169

…but better.

Yes! another polka that can be played in both octaves. Thus:

X: 1
T: Seamus Cussons (low octave)
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Ador
A,>B, CD|EA GE|D>E DB,|A,B, G,2|A,>B, CD|EA GE|DB, GB,|1 B,A, A,G,:|2 B,A, A,2||
|:EA AG/A/|BA GD|EA AG/A/|BA G2|EA AG/A/|BA GE|DB, GB,|1 B,A, A,2:|2 B,A, A,G,||

Woo Hoo!

Submitted on December 2nd 2004 by trimthevelvet.
https://thesession.org/tunes/3956

I’d be surprised if this weren’t the only time this one has been duplicated… Sadly, someone has slapped a name on it willie-nillie, as “Ray’s Favorite”, and by that spelling it’s courtesy of the shore opposite us here around the Atlantic bog… 😏

Submitted on February 10th 2003 by gian marco.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1426

Gan Ainm / “Dalaigh’s Polka” / “Séamus Cussen’s Polka”
& for some daft reason tagged “Ray’s Favorite” by a submitter who hasn’t had the courtesy to offer any comment… 😛
Submitted on December 2nd 2004 by trimthevelvet.
https://thesession.org/members/11872
https://thesession.org/tunes/3956

X: 1
T: Dalaigh’s
T: Séamus Cussen’s
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: ADor
|: A>B cd | ea ge | d>e dB | GB dB |
A>B cd | ea ge | dB gB | BA A2 :|
|: ea ag/a/ | ba ge | ea ag/a/ | ba g2 |
ea ag/a/ | ba ge | d/e/d/B/ gB | BA A2 :|

“Séamus Cussen’s Polka”
Submitted on February 21st 2011 by faas.
https://thesession.org/members/50399
~ /tunes/11084

X: 1
T: Séamus Cussen’s
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Ador
|: A>B cd | ea ge | d>e dB | AB G2 |
A>B cd | ea ge | dB gB |[1 BA AG :|[2 BA A2 ||
|: ea ag/a/ | ba gd | ea ag/a/ | ba g2 |
ea ag/a/ | ba ge | dB gB |[1 BA A2 :|[2 BA AG |]

& Notes / Comments:

Yes! another polka that can be played in both octaves. Thus:

X: 1
T: Seamus Cussons
N: low octave
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Ador
|: A,>B, CD | EA GE | D>E DB, | A,B, G,2 |
A,>B, CD | EA GE | DB, GB, |[1 B,A, A,G, :|[2 B,A, A,2 ||
|: EA AG/A/ | BA GD | EA AG/A/ | BA G2 |
EA AG/A/ | BA GE | DB, GB, |[1 B,A, A,2:|[2 B,A, A,G, |]

Woo Hoo!

# Posted on February 25th 2011 by jaychoons
https://thesession.org/members/54884

This is one of a couple of untitled polkas to be found on Michael Tubridy’s The Eagle’s Whistle LP. On the sleeve he says:

“[These] three polka…were often played for the first four figures of the Plain Set. It was not usual for tunes to be played in groups as they are now - one tune sufficed for each figure of the set - occasionally one of the better or more adventurous musicians would change into a second tune in the middle of one of the longer figures.”

The first polka in his set is
“Ballydesmond Polka No.3” https://thesession.org/tunes/1410
The second is “The Lass of Gowrie” https://thesession.org/tunes/1792

# Posted on July 1st 2007 by nigelg
https://thesession.org/members/11834

Submitted on February 10th 2003 by gian marco.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1426
https://thesession.org/tunes/1426/comments

X: 1
T: Dalaigh’s
T: Séamus Cussen’s
T: Downey’s
Z: gian marco
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Edor
|: D |\
E2 FA | Be ed | Bd/B/ AF | EF D2 |
E>F GA | Be ed | Bd/B/ AF |[1 FE E :|[2 FE E2 ||
|: Be ef | af ed | Be ef | af d2 |
Be ef | af ed | Bd/B/ AF |[1 FE EA:|[2 FE E |]

X: 1
T: Dalaigh’s
T: Séamus Cussen’s
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Edor
|: D |\
E>F GA | Be dB | A>B AF | EF D2 |
E>F GA | Be dB | AF dF | FE E- :|
|: E |\
Be ed/e/ | fe dA |Be ed/e/ | fe d2 |
Be ed/e/ | f/g/f/e/ dA | BA dF | FE E- :|

X: 1
T: Dalaigh’s
T: Séamus Cussen’s
T: Downey’s
Z: gian marco
N: transcribed from E Dorian to A Dorian
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: ADor
|: G |\
A2 Bd | ea ag | eg/e/ dB | AB G2 |
A>B cd | ea ag | eg/e/ dB |[1 BA A :|[2 BA A2 ||
|: ea ab | d’b ag | ea ab | d’b g2 |
ea ab | d’b ag | eg/e/ dB |[1 BA Ad :|[2 BA A |]

Taking that B-part down an octave ~

|: EA AB | dB AG | EA AB | dB G2 |
EA AB | dB AG | EG/E/ DB, |[1 B,A, AD :|[2 B,A, A |]

S: Jackie Daly & CD: “Matt Cranitch & Jackie Daly: The Living Stream”, track 2, 1st polka of two
https://thesession.org/recordings/3728

Notes, from CD: “Jackie traces the first of these polkas to the fiddle player Davy Linehan of Mountcollins, Co. Limerick, a friend of the now legendary fiddle player and teacher Padraig O’Keeffe. Jackie learned it from Davy’s granddaughter Helen Broderick of Abbeyfeale.” - Jackie Small

Q: 138 bpm / 1 beat = one crotchet/quarter note

I couldn’t find this anywhere; it’s a relatively simple Sliabh Luachra polka I learned years ago. I don’t know who plays it, where it comes from, or who it’s associated with, but feel free to fill in those details / point me to the undoubtedly obvious version elsewhere.

Here’s how it’s played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsq1C-vFlHI

play video

A few duplicates/versions/relatives:
https://thesession.org/tunes/1169
https://thesession.org/tunes/1426
https://thesession.org/tunes/8485
https://thesession.org/tunes/8981

That B parts shows up in a number of Edor/Ador polkas it seems. I’ll always associate that with the first polka (Tralee Gaol) in this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jRXD5n_bu4

play video

This is an interesting Tralee Gaol/Ray’s Favourite ‘hybrid’ I heard from a French musician in the late 80’s. I don’t know where he got it from; he played it as a Polka but mistakenly called it a ‘slide irlandais’:
Albeit the 2nd part here is identical to Ray’s Favourite, the 1st part belongs to the family of tunes of which Tralee Gaol https://thesession.org/tunes/1113 represents the polka version and includes the march and slides versions known as The Haughs of Cromdale, The Battle of Yellow Ford, Barrack Hill, etc.

Both the original tune and the setting I posted above are hexatonic: the dorian 6th (F#) is mostly absent but can sometimes be heard in variations such as ‘|:ea ag/a/|ba gf|ea…’ in the 2nd part.

Also seems to be related to Tralee Gaol as well.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1113

From Mithril’s “Rocking Chair” set, first tune. They had this one labelled as I’ll Buy Boots For Maggie (https://thesession.org/tunes/1169)

A few variations from Mithril’s playing.

From the playing of Craobh Rua.

From the playing of Ceól.

Clarification; the so-called ‘hybrid’ version I posted 3 years ago, heard from a French fiddler (No12 above) is basically the version of ‘Tralee gaol’ played by Margaret Barry & Michael Gorman (tin whisle & fiddle) at Paddington, London in 1956 (Her Mantle so Green, track 7b)

I think this is the same tune as given on this site as ‘Dalaigh’s polka’: https://thesession.org/tunes/1426,
(where it’s listed as also known as Anne’s, The Breeches Buttoned On, The Britches Buttoned On, Captain Moonlight’s Army, Ceili House #2, Corcomroe Abbey, Dalaigh’s, Dálaigh’s #4, Downey’s, The Port Downey, Ray’s Favourite, Seamus Cussen’s, Séamus Cussen’s #1, Skibbereen #2, Tom’s My Other Son, The West Kerry).