The Green Cottage polka

This setting is based on Pádraig O’Keeffe and Denis Murphy’s playing back in 1949 from the Music from Sliabh Luachra CD track 13, last track. It is only my attempt to catch the flavour of the polka; for some of the variations on offer see Nico’s reference under that recording. It is NOT the same as the Newmarket Polka: compare bars 2 and 4 etc. The turn is similar however. But it deserves an entry of its own. I find the playing wonderfully energetic and joyous with a great pulse running through it, without the need for backing.

It’s not even a whole bar that’s different for bar 2, just the first half… I’d definitely class these as the same tune, just very slightly different versions. The differences fall well within the range of variation for me…

This is called the Babes in the Wood on Clare Concertinas https://thesession.org/recordings/188
The first part is very similar to the Green Cottage # 3. The turns differ somewhat and arguably it’s a different tune, but this seems a good home for it, with its sister.

This tune sounds as if it might be second cousin to https://thesession.org/tunes/5762: ‘The girl with a blue dress on’ - well known in my local English sessions - especially in the B part.

I assume there must be more Green Cottages than this one. I have a tune of that name, but it’s quite different from the one above. It’s at: http://www.rudemex.co.uk/library/Alphabetical/Green%20Cottage%20(Em).pdf - where it’s also called O‘Connor’s polka No3. as I had it from one Nailus O’Connor, a box player in Knocknagoshel.

Pádraig O’Keeffe gave a version of this tune, which he called Green Little Cottage, to one of his accordion pupils.
See http://port.itma.ie/score/ITMA_4243

Unfortunately Brailsford’s link to Pádraig O’Keefe’s accordian manuscript ( http://port.itma.ie/score/ITMA_4243 ) has now lapsed.

But the tune can still be accessed on ITMA’s website at

https://www.itma.ie/digital-library/score/padraig-okeeffe-ms-bk-3-28