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The Knocknaboul polka

Also known as Ask Our Dan, The Back Of The Haggard, The Ballydesmond, Cnoc Na Buaile, Denis Murphy’s, Knochnaboul, The Knockaboul, Knockabout, Knockabower, The Knockabower, The Knocknaboul No 2, Knocknaboul No. 2, The Knocknaboul No. 2, Knocknaboul Polkas, Knocknaboul Polkas No. 2, The Knocknaboul Polkas No. 2, The Knocknaboul Polkas, The Knocknaboul, Knocknabower, The Knocknabower #2, Knocknabower Polkas, Knocknabower Polkas No. 2, The Knocknabower, Knocknabowl, Liam Brown’s, The Other Clog, Polca Chnoc Na BPoll #2, The Sneem.

There are 34 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The Knocknaboul appears in 4 other tune collections.

The Knocknaboul has been added to 32 tune sets.

The Knocknaboul has been added to 145 tunebooks.

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Eight settings

1
X: 1
T: The Knocknaboul
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:GB B/c/B/A/|GB BA/G/|FA DA|FA DA|
GB B/c/B/A/|GB d> g|fd cA|G2 G2:|
|:g2 g>f|ga ag|fd de|fg af|
g2 g>f|ga ag|fd cA|G2 G2:|
|:B2 c2|dB AG|FD DE|FG Ac|
B2 c2|dB A>g|fd cA|G2 G2:|
# Added by Test .
2
X: 2
T: The Knocknaboul
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:D|GB B/c/B/A/|GB BA|FA AB/A/|FA DA|
GB B/c/B/A/|GB dg|f/e/d cA|G2 G:|
|:B/d/|g2 gd|g/a/b ag|fd de|fg af|
g2 gd|g/a/b ag|f/e/d cA|G2 G:|
|:A|BA/B/ cB/c/|dc AG|FD DE|FG Ac|
BA/B/ cB/c/|dc Ag|f/e/d cA|G2 G:|
3
X: 3
T: The Knocknaboul
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:G2 BA|GB B2|FA A2|FA D2|
GB B>A|GB dg|fd cA|G2 G2:|
|:g2 gd|ga ag|fd de|fg af|
g2 gd|ga ag|fd cA|G2 G2:|
|:B2 c2|dc AG|FD D>E|FG Ac|
B2 c2|dc A|fd cA|G2 G2:|
4
X: 4
T: The Knocknaboul
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:D|GB B/c/B/A/|GB B>A|FA AB/A/|FA D2|
GB B>A|G/A/B/c/ dg|fd c/B/A|G2 G:|
|:d|g2 g>f|ga ag|fd d>e|fg af|
g2 g>f|ga ag|fd c>A|G2 G:|
|:A|B2 cB/c/|dc A>G|FD DE|FG Ac|
BA/B/ cB/c/|d/e/d/c/ Ag|fd cA|G2 G:|
5
X: 5
T: The Knocknaboul
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:GB B/c/B/A/|GB BG|FA AG|FA D2|
GB B/c/B/A/|GB dg|fd cA|G2 G2:|
|:g2 g>f|ga ag|fd de|fg af|
g2 g>f|ga ag|fd cA|1 G2 G2:|2 G2[^A2D2]||
|:[BD]>A Bc|dB AG|F>E FG|AF ED|
B>A Bc|dB Gg|fd cA|1 G2 [^A2D2]:|2 G2 G2||
6
X: 6
T: The Knocknaboul
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:GB B/c/B/A/|GB B2|FA A/B/A/G/|FA D2|
GB B/c/B/A/|GB dg|fd cA|1 G2 G2:|2 G2 Gd||
|:g2 g>f|ga ag|fd de|fg af|
g2 g>f|ga ag|fd cA|1 G2 G2:|2 G2 A2||
|:B>A Bc|dB AG|F>E FG|AB cA|
B>A Bc|dB Gg|fd cA|1 G2 A2:|2 G2 G2||
# Added by JACKB .
7
X: 7
T: The Knocknaboul
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:GB B/c/B/A/|GB B/c/B/A/|FA AB/A/|FA DA|
GB B/c/B/A/|GB d>g|fd cA|1 G2 G2:|2 G2 G/B/d||
|:g>f gf|ga a>g|fd de|fg af|
g>f gf|gb a>g|fd cA|1 G2 G/B/d:|2 G2 GA||
|:B2 Bc|dc AG|FF/E/ FG|AB cA|
BB/A/ Bc|dc A>g|fd cA|1 G2 GA:|2 G2 G2||
8
X: 8
T: The Knocknaboul
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:GB B/c/B/A/|GB BA|FA AB/A/|FA [D2G,2]|
GB BA|GB [fd]e|fB cA|1 [G2 G,2] G/A/G/D/:|2 [G2 G,2] GB/d/||
|:g>a gd|ga a/b/a/g/|fd [fd]d|fg af|
g2 ~g2|gb a/b/a/g/|fB cA|1 G2 [G G,]B/d/:|2 G2 (3B/c/B/ A||
~B2 Bc|d(3c/d/c/ A>G|F(3G/F/E/ FG|AB c/B/A|
B(3c/B/A/ Bc|d(3c/d/c/ Ag|fB cA|G2 (3B/c/B/A|
B>A Bc|d>c AG|~F>E FG|AB c/B/A|
B>A Bc|d>c Ag|fB cA|G2 G/A/G/D/||

Fifteen comments

The Knockabout Polka

A no-frills version of this lovely three part polka. James Kelly does a great fiddlistic version of it on The Ring Sessions.

Dear Zina, if you would like this tune to link up with that recording adjust the title on track 8 from "knockaboul" to "knockabout".

-Will Duty

Posted by .

Mistake

Sorry, my mistake. It appears the title was correct as entered on the Ring Sessions (and "Knockabout" is an alternate title).

Posted by .

Denis Murphy’s/Knocknabowl

Also known as "Denis Murphy’s", but I’m not adding that to the list of alternative titles because it’ll probably automatically link to about another 20 recordings. Recorded on the "Outlet" label by "Ar Leithidi", a group which I think featured most of the Dublin O’Brien family. Shouldn’t it be "Knocknabowl" ?

Posted by .

Knocknabowl

comes from the Irish `Cnoc na buaile`The hill of the milking place.

Posted by .

Thx for the clarification cos. Was wondering maybe it was Eastern European or something.

>>Also known as "Denis Murphy’s, but I’m not adding that"…
Yeah, lotta tunes under that title already.

Posted by .

Knocknaboul No. 2

~ transcription by Ptarmigan
from "The Ballydesmond Polka" by Dan Herlihy & John Drew
track 8, tune 3…

M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Gmaj
|: D |
GB B/c/B/A/ | GB BA | FA AB/A/ | FA DA |
GB B/c/B/A/ | GB dg | f/e/d cA | G2 G :|
|: B/d/ |
g2 gd | (3g/a/b/ ag | fd de | fg af |
g2 gd (3g/a/b/ ag | f/e/d/ cA | G2 G :|
|: A |
BA/B/ cB/c/ | dc AG | FD DE | FGAc |
BA/B/ cB/c/ | dc Ag | f/e/d cA | G2G :|

Submitted on July 24th 2006 by Ptarmigan.

"Ask Our Dan" / "Knocknaboul" / "Knocknabower" / "Denis Murphy’s"

Sorry, I let an old copy of the edited transcript get picked up and pasted above. Here it is corrected ~

K: G Major
|: D |
GB B/c/B/A/ | GB BA | FA AB/A/ | FA DA |
GB B/c/B/A/ | GB dg | f/e/d cA | G2 G :|
|: B/d/ |
g2 gd | g/a/b ag | fd de | fg af |
g2 gd | g/a/b ag | f/e/d cA | G2 G :|
|: A |
BA/B/ cB/c/ | dc AG | FD DE | FG Ac |
BA/B/ cB/c/ | dc Ag | f/e/d cA | G2 G :|

Submitted on July 24th 2006 by Ptarmigan.

"Ask Our Dan" / "Knocknaboul" / "Knocknabower" / "Denis Murphy’s" ~ w/headers

X: 2
T: Knocknaboul
T: Ask Our Dan
T: Knocknabower
T: Denis Murphy’
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: GMaj
|: D |\
GB B/c/B/A/ | GB BA | FA AB/A/ | FA DA |
GB B/c/B/A/ | GB dg | f/e/d cA | G2 G :|
|: B/d/ |\
g2 gd | g/a/b ag | fd de | fg af |
g2 gd | g/a/b ag | f/e/d cA | G2 G :|
|: A |\
BA/B/ cB/c/ | dc AG | FD DE | FG Ac |
BA/B/ cB/c/ | dc Ag | f/e/d cA | G2 G :|

Submitted on July 24th 2006 by Ptarmigan.

Knocknaboul, County Kerry, Sliabh Luachra, Ireland

East of Killarney, between Castleisland and Rathmore, Killarney and Newmarket…

Knocknaboul, County Kerry, Sliabh Luachra, Ireland

Ceol — perhaps we are discussing two different places, but I would think that this was one from the Williamstown-Castleisland road in the townland Knocknaboul, just east of the ambush site in Tureengarrive. Padraig being from Glentann Cross, just a townland over, it would seem likely that it was his, albeit not originally.

The Knocknaboul, X:5

First heard this at the session at The Fiddle & Pick, Pegram, TN, USA, played with enthusiasm. Lots of fun. Recorded it so I could learn it. The double stop/chromatic slides into the next double stop, of course 🙂.

The Knocknaboul #2, X:8

This wonderful 3 part polka, I, imperfectly, learnt from the Star Above The Garter. It is one of my favourite polkas and a great tune to introduce into a set in a session. This setting has been mostly transcribed, from the LP of Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford, by Pat Slattery. The third part, as transcribed, I find beyond my capability, so the second, simplified form is closer to what I aim for.
Pádraig O’Keeffe past this on to many of his pupils but I’ve not heard POK playing it. An example is the setting he gave to Mrs Katie Horan sometime between 1942 and 1949
https://www.itma.ie/digital-library/score/padraig_okeeffe_horan_ms_046
As often, it had no name and it was only a basic version in with the firstv two parts.