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Tom Sullivan’s polka

Also known as The Bog Road, Bóthar An Phortaigh, Did You Wash Your Father’s Shirt, The Disapointed Coquette, Spailpin Fanach, Tom’s, The West Cork.

There are 16 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with Brúigh Isteach Liom, A Shiobháinín (a few times), Jim Keefe’s (a few times) and Johnny Leary’s (a few times).

Tom Sullivan’s has been added to 6 tune sets.

Tom Sullivan's has been added to 107 tunebooks.

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Seven settings

X: 1
T: Tom Sullivan's
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
D/E/F/G/ AB | cA AG | Ad d^c | d3e |
fd ed | cA AB | cA GE | D4:|
fd ed | cA Ad/e/ | fd ed | fg a>g |
fd ed | cA AB | cA GE | D4:|
# Added by nobu .
X: 2
T: Tom Sullivan's
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|: G>A |Bc de | fd dc | dg gf | g2 ga |
bg ag | fd d>e | fd c/B/A | G2 :|
g>a |b2 ag | fd d/e/g/a/ | bc’/b/ af | g2 g>a |
bc’/b/ ag | fd d>e |fd cA | G2 d/e/g/a/ |
bg a>g | fd g>a | bg ab | c’2 ba |
b2 ag | f2 d>g | f/e/d cA | G2 |]
X: 3
T: Tom Sullivan's
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
|: DE |FG AB | cA AG | Ad d^c | d2- de |
fd ed | cA Ad | c/B/A GE | D2 :|
|: Ag |fd ed | cA Ag | fd d/e/f | g2 ag |
fd e>d | cA- Ad | c>A GE | D2 :|
X: 4
T: Tom Sullivan's
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|: G/ |E/F/G A>B | =cA AG | Ad dc |
[1 d2 d>e | fd ed | =cA A>B | cA GE | D2 D3/ :|
[2 d2 de | f/g/a e>d | =cA A>B | cA GE | D2 D3/ ||
|: e/ |fd ed | =cA A>g | fd eA |
[1 d2 d>e | fd ed | =cA A>B | cA GE | D2 D3/ :|
[2 d2 de | fa e>d | =cA A>B | cA GE | D2 D3/ |]
X: 5
T: Tom Sullivan's
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|: A |E/F/G A>B | =cA- AG | Ad dc | d>A de |
f/e/d ee/d/ | cA AA/B/ | c/B/A GE | D2- D :|
|: d/e/ |fd ee/d/ | cA Ad/e/ | f/g/f/d/ e/d/c | d2 a>g |
f2 ed | cA- A>B | cA G/F/E | D2- D :|
X: 6
T: Tom Sullivan's
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
|: A2 |D2 FA | cA AG | Ad d^c | d2 d>e |
fd ed | ^c/B/A AB | cA GE | D2 :|
D2 |fd ed | ^c/B/A Ad | fd e^c | d2 de |
fd ed | ^c/B/A AB | cA GE | D2 D2 |
f2 ed | ^c/B/A Ad | fd ef | g2 a>g |
fd ed | ^c/B/A A>B | cA GE | D2 |]
X: 7
T: Tom Sullivan's
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
|:D/E/F/G/ AB| cA AG|Ad d^c| d3 e|
fd e>d| cA A>B| cA G/F/E|1 D3 F/E/:|2 D3 d/e/||
|:fd ed| cA Ad/e/|fd ef| g2 a>g|
fd ed| cA A>B|cA G/F/E|1 D3 d/e/:|2 D3 F/E/||

Twenty comments

Gan Ainm

I don’t know a name of this tune.
But we play this as a first tune of Britches full of Stitches Set.

Posted by .

But we play this as a first tune of Britches full of Stitches Set.

Posted by .

Our Britch set

Gan Ainm(this tune) - Mrs. Crowley’s - Britches full of Stitches

Posted by .

Recording

To be found on Alan Kelly’s "Out of the Blue", by the name of Tom Sullivan’s.

Gan Ainm/om Sullivan’s

Jackie Daly also names this polka Tom Sullivan’s on his cd Music from Sliabh Luachra. I paly it with C# instead of the B.

Posted by .

Gan Ainm/Tom Sullivan’s

Wow! Time to wake up and down another coffee.

Posted by .

Tom Sullivan’s

I played this last night leading a set followed by the two Paddy’s submitted by Dow that I learned from the Josephine Marsh cd. Played very briskly and lots of fun especially when accompanied by a bodhraner who repeatedly tossed his tipper in the air like a majorette but who hadn’t quite organized the other half of the action. Really.

Posted by .

“Tom Sullivan’s Polka”

K: G Major
|: G>A |
Bc de | fd dc | dg gf | g2 ga |
bg ag | fd d>e | fd c/B/A | G2 :|
| g>a |
b2 ag | fd d/e/g/a/ | bc’/b/ af | g2 g>a |
bc’/b/ ag | fd d>e |fd cA | G2 d/e/g/a/ |
bg a>g | fd g>a | bg ab | c’2 ba |
b2 ag | f2 d>g | f/e/d cA | G2 ||

& simpler with more choice of key ~

K: D Mixolydian ~ or ~ D Major
|: DE |
FG AB | cA AG | Ad d^c | d2- de |
fd ed | cA Ad | c/B/A GE | D2 :|
|: Ag |
fd ed | cA Ag | fd d/e/f | g2 ag |
fd ed | cA- Ad | c>A GE | D2 :|

We play this followed by Foxhunters slip jig - they go well

Tom Sullivan - Does this name ring any bells?

In 1984, on a trip with companions from England, I and they went into a pub in the middle of nowhere in County Louth. We were told it was "Irish night", so we awaited events. An old man came in with a 3-row button accordion and a younger man with him beat time on a tambourine. The button box playing was simply the most amazing I’d ever heard (he was using the full bass set of buttons he had). I was told he was called Tom Sullivan, and he must have been at least locally well known, but I’ve never heard any more about him.
- Anyone out there come across him?

Tom and Dan

could Dan sullivan be in any way connected to this Tom Sullivan (both happen to share the same family name and both of there names apeare in polkas).
perhaps it is just a coinsidence. Anyway, I’d be glad to know.

Posted by .

X: 4 “The Bog Road”

S: “Jimmy Doyle & Dan O’Leary: Traditional Music From The Kingdom Of Kerry”
https://thesession.org/recordings/1247 ~ track 11 (side 2, track 4) - the 2nd polka of two

Q: 135 bpm (1 beat = one crotchet/quarter note)

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nicholas & Osher ~ I’ll see if I can find out anything on this for you. I’d like to know more myself.

Did you wash your father’s shirt

I think this tune may be the reason why I was blamed for playing the A & B parts in the wrong order. I was playing Did you wash your father’s Shirt which sounds very similar to me, but in the reverse order.

Re: Tom Sullivan’s

Ceolachan - It’s a pleasure to see your tunes again and I hope you’re doing well. Kindly take a look at "Tommy Sullivan’s Hornpipe" on this site. Those guys liked their music lively. And it seems a good tune lasts longer - anyway I’m pleased to see you up and about.

Re: Tom Sullivan’s

One of the reel settings of this widespread tune can be seen in Kerr’s Merry Melodies Book 1 (c1875) under the title "The Disapointed Coquette".