Tom Sullivan’s polka

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

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

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

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

I can’t help thinking that this sounds similar to a common reel - maybe something like My Love Is In America https://thesession.org/tunes/77

Or it might be the B-part that sounds like The Sunny Banks https://thesession.org/tunes/1453

West Cork Reel(https://thesession.org/tunes/715)

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.

Wow! Time to wake up and down another coffee.

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.

Almost 2 years later and I’ve remembered which reel this reminded me of: Marry While You’re Young https://thesession.org/tunes/201.

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

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?

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.

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.

This polka was learned from a ceili band tunebook, but I don’t know if it’s known under any other names. I love the c natural in the 2nd bar and then all c sharps for the rest of the tune.

It was posted 11 years ago as “Tom Sullivan’s Polka” (https://thesession.org/tunes/1820).

Thanks Nigel. I tried searching some snippets of ABC as well as names but got no matches. Hopefully this can be merged with the original post. Is there a best way to arrange that?

“Is there a best way to arrange that?”

Sometimes overnight the brownies come and magically tidy things up when we’re asleep.

The finding of tunes already here can be frustrating; sometimes the tune is in a different key which makes it difficult finding a match. I know both of these polkas very well, so I knew where to look. As an experiment, I entered the first two bars of “Tom Sullivan’s” (D/E/F/G/ AB | cA AG ) into the search box, exactly as it appears, but it came up with no matches. I wonder why?

This tune is in Pete Coopers Irish fiddle tutor and played with Dan sullivans as a set.

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.

“Call the Set III”
https://thesession.org/recordings/5713

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.

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”.

From the playing of Tomas Ó Canainn.

This polka is #1 in the set, “Tom Sullivan’s (AKA Did You Wash Your Father’s Shirt) / Bridgie Con Matt’s Favorite / Top of the Maol”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNh3v-xVD5o

play video

The set is played at a lively 145 tempo.

A version of the West Cork Polka taught by Frances Marriott.

I thought this polka was well-known, then realised I couldn’t find it anywhere on the Session or elsewhere. That’s a shame as it’s really nice.

Looks like a version of Tom Sullivan’s.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1820

The same as X:13 but transcribed in D Mixolydian.
Very interesting to play this tune doing a combination of diatonic harmonicas. I use the tremolos for this. I play most of the tune with the G harmonica and I use the D harmonica to play that C sharp in the first part.
Thanks a lot for those chords, I had a great time playing them with the ukulele.