The Siege Of Ennis polka

Although I first knew this Polka as Andy Irvine’s Polka (that’s what it came off the web as), the man himsef has no idea why.
I found it originally in D but it’s a bit high for the average whistle player.

This is also a set dance, set dances aren’t any rhythm in particular, they can be hornpipes, reels even muzarka (shoe the donkey?) More refers to having a Set Dance that you do to a particular tune.

Whatever this tune is called (it may be the Tulla Polka) it’s not the Siege of Ennis which goes somethig like “B2 BA, GE E2, DG GA, BA A2”. It’s a good polka and the version shown here is the setting I’d go for - the setting sometimes played in Clare has some additional parts which personally I feel don’t do anything for the tune.

Bannerman, I happen to know this one as the Siege of Ennis as well…..; so Nutty Nessie can’t be that wrong …

Thanks for the moral support Hek Bos - I’m just going by what the other internet collection said!

Nessie, didn’t Patrick Street record this one? That’s presumably how it came to be called Andy Irvine’s.

It was recorded on “The Iron Behind the Velvet”, Christy Moore et all and was called “Irvine’s Polka”. It says : “…..followed by a polka which was suggested by Andy, who had no knowledge of its title or source.”

John

The Siege of Ennis is a dance not a tune. You can select any tunes you like for the dancers as long as they fit the steps of the dance. If you have access to Allan’s Irish Fiddler you will find one series of tunes which can be used for the dance. The last time I saw it danced was in a pub in Clare and the band started off with Grand Old Dame Britannia.

I’ll have to check, but I think Siege is both a dance AND a tune, Taglione. I should know this, but I don’t. *grin* Guess I’m glad I’m not taking my TCRG this year, it’s going to have to wait til next year… We dance Siege all the time, it’s one of the dances “by the Book.”

Zina

In Clare this tune is definitely the Tulla reel and not the Siege of Ennis (see Frank Custy’s “C

Sorry, I meant Tulla Polka (not reel)!

https://thesession.org/tunes/2412

I should have added a note of clarity to the previous link. It takes you to an earlier entry that was made as “The Seige of Ennis”. It is not the same tune and only ever known by me and a load of other nuts, from singing it back in the 70s, as “The Bogs”, or “The Rattlin’ Bog”, or “The Bog Down in the Valley O’”…

I have some vague memory of another tune by this name, a four parter. If I can dig it up I’ll contribute it.

I first came across this song some months ago. There is a Mandola player from Enniskillen, northern Ireland called Barry McGundy (or maybe McGandy). He made a few CD’s at home and sold them cheaply on ebay. Nice bloke and not a bad player either.
One of the sets on his CD was:

Kerry Polka (Egan’s)
St Patrick
Seige of Ennis
St Annes

I really took a shine to the Seige of Ennis but never bothered to learn it. Some time later I went down to the session. I was sitting in and then I heard that tune being played! The Seige of Ennis. Although, like Bannerman said it had a 3rd part in it which, I agree, doesn’t do anything for the tune whatsoever. I wanted to make sure of what this tune was called so there was a banjo player beside me and I asked him and he said “Oh, I can’t remember. Wait! The Tulla Polka it is”. I personally though he had made an error because all I knew of was the Tulla Reel. But then I went searching for the tune recently. Both tunes seem to be the same. It would obviously be a Clare tune with Tulla (I think) and Ennis being in Clare.

Although I wouldn’t know how that 3rd bit came about!

Paddy

It’s a Scottish 2/4 march called The Banks Of Inverness.

Duplicated here https://thesession.org/tunes/4774

I learnt to play this tune back in the fifties. Nine times out of ten it was played for the Ceili Dance ’ The Siege of Ennis’ and consequently was known as The Ennis Reel. We always played four parts to this tune.

I don’t know if this is the missing bit you had in mind Free Reed which we always play at the Clare sessions:-

Bd Bd|Bd d2|ed Bd|ed d2|Bd Bd|Bd d2|ed BA|AG G2|\
GB d2|ed c2|dB G>A|BA A2|GB d2|ed c2|dB GE|ED D2||

This was the one that Bannerman was giving early on ~ “B2 BA, GE E2, DG GA, BA A2” ~ * Posted on May 6th 2003… Here is the earliest submission of the tune ~

“The Rattlin’ Bog” ~ polka / song
Key signature: D Major
Submitted on March 12th 2002 by hillfolk.
https://thesession.org/tunes/583

Here is The Tulla and The Siege of Ennis in one set. And thanks, ceolachan, for reminding me of that song from the olden days of folk clubs (The Rattling Bog).
http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/tulla_polka_siege_of_ennis_knockabower_polka/
I know the first two parts of The Tulla as The Banks of the Inverness.

polkas & comments: “The Rattlin’ Bog” / “The Seige of Ennis #1 of 3”
https://thesession.org/tunes/583/comments

polka: “The Irish R. M.”
Submitted on October 26th 2005 by Ptarmigan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5119

Discussion: Music for the Seige of Ennis
# Posted on September 10th 2005 by CELTICCHEF83
https://thesession.org/discussions/7711

Discussion: Polkas for siege of ennis set
# Posted on November 10th 2009 by hakanozel
https://thesession.org/discussions/23069

polka: “Salmon Tails Down The Water”…
Submitted on April 27th 2004 by Grack.
https://thesession.org/tunes/2903

…flute friendly, but you still need to locate precisely these high c’ sharp and d’ ’s, flute player!
Oh! I see! You are one of those!

X: 1
T: Siege Of Ennis, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: D Maj
A>B AG|FA de|fa/f/ ef/e/|dB Bd|
A>B AG|FA de|fa/f/ ef/e/|1d2 dB:|2d2 de||
|fa af|gb ba|fa/f/ ef/e/|dB Bd|
fa af|gb b>c’|d’/c’/b c’a|b2 bc’|
d’b c’a|ba fe|fa/f/ ef/e/|dB Bd|
A>B AG|FA de|fa/f/ ef/e/|d4 d2||

“The Kerryman’s Daughter”
# Added - October 30th, 2001
https://thesession.org/tunes/345

“Salmon Tails Up The Water”
# Added by Grack - April 27th, 2004
https://thesession.org/tunes/2903

“The Croppies’ March”
# Added by ceolachan - July 25th, 2005
https://thesession.org/tunes/4774

“The Banks Of Inverness”
# Added by Ptarmigan - October 26th, 2005
https://thesession.org/tunes/5119

The following variation is that played in Glasgow currently. It is almost identical to some of the above listing but has slightly differing repeats:

X: 5
T: Tulla Polka
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
D>E DB, | DE GA | Bd AB/A/ | GE cE |
D>E DB, | DE GA | Bd AB/A/ | G2 G2 :||
{A}Bd d>B | ce e>B | Bd AB/A/ | GE cE |
{A}Bd d>B | ce e>f | ge (3)fed | e<e e<g |
ge fd | ed BA | Bd AB/A/ | GE cE |
D>E DB, | DE GA |Bd AB/A/ | G2 G2 ||
Bd Bd|Bd d2|ed Bd|ed BA|
Bd Bd|Bd d2|ed BA|AG G2:||
GB d2|ed c2|dB G>A|BA A>B|
GB d2|ed c2|dB GE|ED D2:||

I agree with Taglione. I am looking at ‘Allan’s “Irish Fiddler”’. Under “THE SEIGE OF ENNIS” is given what appears to be one tune but which are really 3 tunes beginning with what every competent traditional Irish musician knows is “The Rattling Bog” in polka time. You could do the dance to an air or a piobaireachd but I see no senses in doing it to anything but a polka or a reel played like a polka (most Irish fiddlers tend to jerk out reels like hornpipes just as Scotch fiddlers created strathspey reels from reels and most highland pipers play all reels as strathspey reels). Regardless, dancers are always to call the shots when musicians (most of whom cannot dance) are playing for the dancers.

A setting popular in our region.

x:4 is a very good setting (by ceolachan).

From the playing of Tim Edey & Mike McGoldrick. Transposed from Fmaj.

I am posting this primarily for the benefit of a member that was searching for the tune and was bewildered by the number of settings on offer (so I’ve added one more… 😉 ). Looking through those already posted, I could not find one that sounded to me like a ‘standard’ session version. The setting I have posted borrows part from Niall Kenny’s setting and part from NfldWhistler’s setting, with a few minor adjustments.

I’ve posted it as a 4-parter, but it works perfectly well as a 2-part tune, omitting the 3rd and 4th parts (which I suspect to be relatively recent additions, anyway). I have also hear this tune played with the 3rd and 4th parts once through each only (i.e. merged into one 16-bar part) - this could have been done specifically to fit a 48-bar dance.