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The Ballydesmond polka

Also known as The Ballydesmond #1/Tony Lowe’s, Ballydesmond No. 1, The Ballydesmond Polka 1, The Ballydesmond Polka No. 1, The Ballydesmond Polkas No. 1, The Ballydesmond Polkas, Donncha Lynch’s.

There are 11 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with The Ballydesmond (a few times) and The Ballydesmond (a few times).

The Ballydesmond has been added to 13 tune sets.

The Ballydesmond has been added to 179 tunebooks.

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Seven settings

X: 1
T: The Ballydesmond
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
|:A>B AG|EF GE|A>B AG|Ad (4dedc|
A>B AG|EF G2|AB cE|ED D2:|
Ad d2|ed c2|ed cd|ea (4abag|
ed c2|ed c2|A3B cd|ef g>f|
ed cd|eA cd|e>d cd|ea (4abag|
(3efg d>B|ce d>B|AB cE|ED D2||
X: 2
T: The Ballydesmond
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
|:A>B AG|EF GE|A>B AG|Ad dc|
A>B AG|EF G2|AB cE|ED D2:|
ed ^cd |eA B/^c/d|ed ^cd|ea a>g|
ed ^cd|ed ^cd|A3B cd|ef gf|
ed ^cd |eA B/^c/d|ed ^cd|ea a>g |
(3efg d>B|ce d>B|AB cE|ED D2||
X: 3
T: The Ballydesmond
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
|: A>B AG | EF GE | A>B AG | Ad d/e/d/c/ |
A>B AG | EF G2 | AB cE | ED D2 :|
Ad d2 | ed c2 | ed cd | ea a/b/a/g/ |
ed c2 | ed c2 | A>B cd | ef g>f |
ed cd | eA cd | e>d cd | ea a/b/a/g/ |
e/f/g d>B | ce d>B | AB cE | ED D2 |]
X: 4
T: The Ballydesmond
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
|: ed d2 | ed c2 | ed ^cd | ea a/b/a/g/ | ~
|: ed c/^c/d | e^c d2 | ed c/^c/d | ea a>g | ~
X: 5
T: The Ballydesmond
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
|: A>B AG | EF GE | A>B AG | Ad d/e/d/c/ |
A>B AG | EF GE | AB cE | ED D2 :|
ed d2 | ed c2 | ed ^cd | ea a/b/a/g/ |
[1 ed d>f | ed c>B | A>B cd | ef g>f :|
[2 e/f/g dB | ce d>B | AB cE | ED D2 |]
X: 6
T: The Ballydesmond
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
|: A>B AG | EF GE | A>B AG | Ad d/e/d/^c/ |
A>B AG | EF GE | AB cE | ED D2 :|
|: ed d2 | ed c2 | ed ^cd | ea a/b/a/g/ |
[1 ed d2 | ed cB | AB ^cd | ef g>f :|
[2 e/f/g dB | ^ce d>c | AB cE | ED D2 |]
X: 7
T: The Ballydesmond
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
|: "D"A>B AG | "C"EF GE | "D"A>B AG | "Am"Ad d/e/d/c/ |
"D"A>B AG | "C"EF GE | "Am"AB cE | "C"ED "D"D2 :|
|:"D"ed d2 | "Am"ed c2 | "C"ed ^cd | "Am"ea a/b/a/g/ |
[1 "C"ed d>f | "Am"ed c>B | "D"A>B cd | "Am"ef g>f :|
[2 "C"e/f/g "G"dB | "C"ce "G"d>B | "Am"AB "C"cE | "D"ED D2 |]
# Added by Bryce .

Sixteen comments

All three of the Ballydesmond polkas are from playing of Denis Murphy and
Julia Clifford. They are usually played as a set.

This was transcribed by Jack Walsh.

I only play #1 and #2 as a set (#2 is also known as Maurice Manley’s) and
I play them quite slowly with a strong lilting polka feeling (stress on the
first beat of each bar). They work at "session speed", too, but some of
their haunting beauty is lost, I think.

Here’s how Seamus begley plays it on the Meiteal CD. Not delighful modulation to A major in B part -

X: 1
T: Ballydesmond, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Ador
|:A>B AG|EF GE|A>B AG|Ad dc|
A>B AG|EF G2|AB cE|ED D2:|
ed ^cd |eA B/^c/d|ed ^cd|ea a>g|
ed ^cd|ed ^cd|A3B cd|ef gf|
ed ^cd |eA B/^c/d|ed ^cd|ea a>g |
(3efg d>B|ce d>B|AB cE|ED D2||

Note, not ‘not’

Errm , that should be "Note delightful modulation ….’

“The Ballydesmond Polka #1” ~ cleaning up the original transcript

X: 1
T: Ballydesmond, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: DMix
|: A>B AG | EF GE | A>B AG | Ad d/e/d/c/ |
A>B AG | EF G2 | AB cE | ED D2 :|
Ad d2 | ed c2 | ed cd | ea a/b/a/g/ |
ed c2 | ed c2 | A>B cd | ef g>f |
ed cd | eA cd | e>d cd | ea a/b/a/g/ |
e/f/g d>B | ce d>B | AB cE | ED D2 |]

Am I getting this all screwed up :-(

This is not one of the ones numbered 1, 2 & 3 on the CCE Foinn Seisiún CD 1

Ballydesmond Polka #0?? - Chieftains: Water from the Well, track 14 Ballyfin Polkas

Where did I see this, labeled Ballydesmond #0? Here..??

I don’t have the Chieftains’ album, Water from the Well, on which they "roam the regions of Ireland" – but it’d be swell if someone could confirm that this is indeed one of the polkas on Track 14, Ballyfin Polkas..

Could someone with the album please check out Track 14?
TIA !!

There are strong similarities to the 2nd polka in that set, but I wouldn’t like to say categorically that it’s the same tune.

Posted by .

“The Ballyfin Polka #2”

Well, as Kenny notes, it may have similarities but Paddy has ‘arranged’ it that much that it’s now different enough to have a place of its own on site here. Having just added #1, I’ll add a transcription for #2 later. But for now here’s the first 4 bars/measures for the B-parts of both tunes for comparison, this one first ~

"The Ballydesmond Polka" ~ K: DMix
|: ed d2 | ed c2 | ed ^cd | ea a/b/a/g/ | ~

"The Ballyfin Polka" ~ K:
|: ed c/^c/d | e^c d2 | ed c/^c/d | ea a>g | ~

“The Ballydesmond Polka” ~ another take on this one

X: 3
T: Ballydesmond Polka, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: DMix
|: A>B AG | EF GE | A>B AG | Ad d/e/d/c/ |
A>B AG | EF GE | AB cE | ED D2 :|
ed d2 | ed c2 | ed ^cd | ea a/b/a/g/ |
[1 ed d>f | ed c>B | A>B cd | ef g>f :|
[2 e/f/g dB | ce d>B | AB cE | ED D2 |]

X: 6 “The Ballydesmond Polka” No. 1 in a set of 3

B: "Learn to Play the Tin Whistle with Armagh Pipers Club, Part 2"
Published by Armagh Pipers Club
Printed by The Appletree Press, Ltd., Belfast, 1979
Music transcriptions: Eithne Vallely
Introduction: John B. Vallely

page 12 - transcription #20: The Ballydesmond Polkas (a set of 3)

Written out as 4/4 I’ve converted the transcription to the usual 2/4, and from D Major to D Mixolydian…

The Ballydesmond, X:7

Here are some chords.

Posted by .

Re: The Ballydesmond

Just added a tune called "Rainy Night Under The Bridge" that’s very similar (so similar that perhaps it should just be merged as a setting and additional name on this tune):

https://thesession.org/tunes/15498