Saint Patrick’s Day jig

Glauber started a discussion on set dances, so I thought it would be appropriate to post onee of the more popular set dances, Saint Patrick’s Day. The dancers here request it frequently. Some dancers want the B Part repeated (AABB)…other’s expect to hear it only once before returning to the A Part (AABAAB). It never hurts to ask first, though many dancers won’t know until you actually play it for them.

Watch for those "extra" bars in the B Part—remembering where you are is the trickiest part of playing this tune.

Aaaand, for your edification, here are the words to St. Patrick’s Day — at least, one set of them.

Thomas Moore, from Irish Melodies, vol. 4
"This song was written for a f

I have heard that this tune was played by the pipers of the Connaught Rangers at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, and that it was also played by Irish piping regiments in the Duke of Marborough

I know this tune as Saint Patrick’s Day in the Morning

m

This tune was made play by the Captain William Brown (born in Foxford, County Mayo, Ireland) in the Montevideo’s naval combat in May 17, 1814, between the Spanish and Independentist ships. The Admiral William Brown is the father of the Argentine Navy. A version can be found in http://www.ara.mil.ar/historia/marchas/marchas.htm

PD. Sorry my bad english

This tune can be documented in printed sources back to 1740s and it must be older than that. Definitely "an oldie but a goodie."

Portneuf Valley Brewing Company ~ Pocatello, Idaho, U.S.A.
https://thesession.org/sessions/1197

X: 1
T: Saint Patrick’s Day
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
N: Set - Saint Patrick’s Day, The Blarny Pilgrim, The Irish Washerwoman
R: jig
S: Valerie Finnigan, Rune Stone
K: Gmaj
D |: "G" GAG GBc | ded dBG | "D" AGA "G" BGD | "C" EFE E2D |
| "G" GAG GBc | ded dBG | "D" AGA "G" BGD |1 "C" E2F "G" G2D :|2 "C" E2F "G" G2d |
|: "Em" def g2e | "D" fed "C" eBA | "Em" Bef g2e | "D" fed "C" e2d |
| "Em" def g2e | "D" fed "C" efg | "G" GAG GBc | ded dBG |
| "D" AGA "G" BGD | "C" EFE E2D | "G" GAG GBc | ded dBG |
| "D" AGA "G" BGD |1 "C" E2F "G" G2B :|2 "C" E2F "G" G2D |

Nice one Rune, I like the N: ~ a great way to show the set you guys play it in. Thanks, much appreciated and valued… 🙂

Maybe I’m preaching to the choir here, but the way I’ve heard it has always been AAAB- prep 8 bars, right foot, left foot, The Set- at feiseanna and on my practice CD’s ;) . It was the first hardshoe I learned… Since it’s a traditional set, though, I’ve never heard the B part repeated. The Set isn’t done on the left foot.
If it’s going to be played for dancers, I’d say be sure to include the extra 8 bars for every repeat of it AAABAAAB, etc. Otherwise there’s no time to count/prepare and you end up losing half the right foot- which isn’t pretty ;)

This one of the jigs once played in the central Appalachians and makes a nice little tune in standard AA BB format…


|: d>ef gfe | fed edB | d>ef gfe | fed e3| def gfe | fed edB |
| AGA BAG | E2F G3 :|

THe "A" isn’t much different than whats already here.

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on March 18th 2007 by Falkbeer.

X: 1
T: St. Patrick’s Day
T: St. Patrick’s Day in the Morning
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
|: D |
G>AG GBc | d>ed dBG | A>GA BGD | E>FE E2 D |
G>AG GBc | d>ed dBG | A>GA BGD | E2 F G2- :|
|: G |
d>ef g2 e | f2 d e2 d | d>ef g2 e | f2 d e3 |
d>ef g2 e | f2 d e2 d | d>BG GBc | d>ed dBG |
A>GA BGD | E>FE E2 D | G>AG GBc | d>ed dBG |
A>GA BGD | E2 F G2 :|]

It’s a set dance in 6/8 time. In other words there’s a specific dance which goes with the tune which explains why there are only 14 bars in the turn rather than the 8 or 16 most musicians would expect - ie a conventional jig wil have 8 bars that are normally repeated in each part.

# Posted on March 19th 2007 by Bannerman

Here’s yet another setting in the key of F from a 1909 edition of "The Remick Favorite Collection of Old Home Songs".

X:1
T:Saint Patrick’s Day
C:Barry
C:Arr by George Rosey.
M: 6/8
L:1/16
N: From "The Remick Favorite Collection of Old Home Songs" (1909) Price 50¢ p. 58
K:F
C2|F3 G F2 F2 G2 A2 |c3 d c2 c2 A2 F2 | G3 F G2 A2 F2 C2 | D3 E D2 D4 C C|
F3 G F2 F2 G2 A2 | c3 d c2 c2 A2 F2 | G3 F G2 A2 F2 C2 | D4 E2 F4 c2 |
c2 d2 e2 f4 d2| e4 c2 d4 A2 | c2 d2 e2 f2 e2 d2 | e2 d2 c2 d4 c c |
c2 d2 e2 f4 d2 | e2 d2 c2 d4 ef | F3 G F2 F2 G2 A2 | c3 d c2 c2 A2 F2 |
G3 F G2 A2 F2 C2 | D3 E D2 D4 C2 | F3 G F2 F2 G2 A2 |
c3 d c2 c2 A2 F2 | G3 F G2 A2 F2 C2 | [D4B,4] [E2B2] [F4A,4] |]



Oh! blest be the days when the Green banner floated,
Sublime o’er the mountains of free Innisfail,
When her sons to her glory and freedom devoted,
Defied the invader to tread her soil.
When back o’er the main they chased the Dane,
And gave to religion and learning their spoil,
When valor and mind, together combin’d,
But wherefore lament o’er the glories departed?
Her star shall shine out with as vivid array,
For ne’er had she children more brave and true hearted
Than those she now sees on Saint Patrick’s Day.

Her scepter, alas! passed away to the stranger,
And treason surrender’d what valor he held,
But true hearts remain’d amid darkness and danger,
Which, spite of her tyrants, would not be quell’d.
Oft, oft thro’ the night flash’d gleams of light,
Which almost the darkness of bondage dispell’d;
But a star now is near, her heaven to cheer,
Not the the wild gleams which so fitfully darted,
but long to shine down with its hallowing ray,
Oh daughters as fair, and sons as true hearted
As Erin beholds on Saint Patrick’s Day.

Oh! Blest be the hour when he girt her by cannon,
And hail’d as it rose by a nation’s applause,
That flag waved aloft o’er the spire of Dungannon,
Asserting for Irishmen Irish Laws.
Once more shall it wave, o’er hearts as brave,
Despite of the dastards who mock at her cause
And like brothers agreed, whatever their creed,
Her children, inspired by those glories departed:
No longer in darkness desponding will stay,
But join in the cause like the brave and true hearted
Who rise for their rights on Saint Patrick’s Day.

Discussion: St. Patrick’s Day as a ceili dance for 4 couples
# Posted on May 8th 2008 by C. Nicolas
https://thesession.org/discussions/17725

This comes from a CD collection by Billy Furlong who plays for many of the feiseanna. The g# going back to the G natural give it a nice lilt

X: 1
T: Saint Patrick’s Day
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
S: Billy Furlong
D: Strings for the Sets
Z: Daniel Bradbury
K: Gmaj
D|:GAG GBc|d3 dBG|A^GA B=GD|EFG AFD|
|GAG GBc|d3 dBG|A^GA B=GD|Ez FG2 D|
|GAG GBc|ded dBG|A^GA B=GD|EFG AFD|
|GAG GBc|d3 dBG|A^GA B=GD|Ez FG2D|
|GAG GBc|d3 dBG|A^GA B=GD|EFG AFD|
|GAG GBc|d3 dBG|A^GA B=GD|Ez FG2 B|
|def gfe|{a}fed edB|def gfe|{a}fed e2 B|
|def gfe|fed efg||GAG GBc|d3 dBG|A^GA B=GD|EFG AFD|
|GAG GBc|d3 dBG|A^GA B=GD|1Ez FG2 D:|2Ez FG3||

We sing this tune in church every year on St. Patrick’s Day, but the lyrics are different (and there seems to be a difference in the center of the tune). These are the lyrics we sing:

All praise to St. Patrick, who brought to our mountains
the gift of God’s faith, the sweet light of his love!
All hail to the shepherd who showed us the fountains
that rise in the heart of the Savior above!
For hundreds of years, in smiles and in tears,
Our saint has been with us, our shield and our stay;
All else may have gone, Saint Patrick alone,
He hath been to us light when earth’s lights were all set,
for the glories of faith they can never decay;
And the best of our glories is bright with us yet,
In the faith and the feast of Saint Patrick’s Day!

There is not a saint in the bright courts of heaven
More faithful than he to the land of his choice;
Oh, well may be nation to whom he was given,
In the feast of the sire and apostle rejoice!
In glory above, true to his love,
He keeps the false faith from his children away;
The dark false faith far worse than death,
Oh, he drives it far off from the green sunny shore,
like the reptiles that fled from his curse in dismay;
And Erin, when error’s proud triumph is o’er,
will still be found keeping Saint Patrick’s Day.

At my dance school, we always do the B part of St. Patrick’s Day once. The AAAB seems to be fairly standard from what I’ve seen. Of course, if I wasn’t playing for dancers, I’d do the B part as many times as I could get away with it, it’s a lot of fun to play.

Useful online fiddle tutorial here from Ian Walsh:

http://www.diylife.com/videos-partner/how-to-play-st-patricks-day-on-an-irish-fiddle-126853206-163

While when playing the traditional set many dances only want the B played once, when playing the tune for the ceili dance, the B part is repeated

X:8 from Leo Rowsome and His Irish Pipers Band. This differs from all settings offered heretofore in that the melody in the opening bars is GAG GBd | gfe dBG instead of GAG GBd | ded d2B etc. Where that came from I’m not sure. Leo’s setting is much like that in O’Neill’s and most older musicians played it that way too.

B: "Dances of Donegal", collected by Grace Orpen, D.M. Wilkie, London, 1931
The first few pages of this book, and its first tune & dance:
"The Fairy Dance" - https://thesession.org/tunes/424

ITMA: Irish Traditional Music Archive/Taisce Cheol DÚchais Éireann
http://www.itma.ie/
Grace Orpen’s Local Donegal Dances, 1931
http://www.itma.ie/digitallibrary/print-collection/donegal-dances-1931
"Dances of Donegal" collected and edited by Grace Orpen, 1931
Click on ‘32 Pages’ to view them, with Grace Orpen’s ‘Figures’/illustrations…
http://www.itma.ie/digitallibrary/book/dances-of-donegal

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
page 12 - music notation / page 13 - dance description
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dance: Six Handed Duke
Tune: St. Patrick’s Day (6/8)

Six Dancers: 3 Men and 3 Women.

Steps - - - - - - - - - Description - - - - - - - - - Bars (& see ITMA link for figure/illustration 2)

- - - Introduction as in Fairy Reel. - - - 8

1 - - - Advance and retire. Repeat. - - - 8

2 - - - Dance in place. - - - 4

- - - Dancers advance and cross over to opposite side of set, the men raising their arms to form arches, the women passing under the arches, 1st and 2nd women together, 3rd woman alone. - - - 4

- - - Repeat (men raising two arches again), 1st woman alone, 2nd and 3rd women together. - - - 8

3 - - - Partners join both hands and all dance in a figure of eight (couples weaving in and out) through the set as follows: (Fig. 2).

- - - 1st and 2nd couples change places, 1st man moving backward first (1st woman forward), then forward (1st woman backward), 2nd man moving forward first (2nd woman backing) then backward (2nd woman forward = exchanging places round ACW).

- - - 1st and 3rd couples change places, 1st man moving forward first (1st woman backing), then backward (1st woman forward), 3rd man moving backward first (3rd woman forward) then forward (3rd woman backing = exchanging places round CW).

- - - 2nd and 3rd couples change places, 2nd man moving backward first (2nd woman forward) then forward (2nd woman backing), 3rd man moving forward first (3rd woman backing) then backward (3rd woman forward = exchanging places round ACW).

- - - Continue until all are back in their original places (backwards and forwards, weaving in and out).

- - - Dance in place to complete the music. - - - 16

4 - - - "DUKES"

- - - Partners hold both hands.

* 1st couple raise both arms to form an arch, 2nd couple move under arch to top of set.

- - - All dance in place.

- - - 3rd couple raise arms to form an arch, 1st couple move under arch to bottom of set. (2 bars - & progression! = 1st couple now at bottom of set).

- - - All dance in place (2 bars).

- - - Continue, the couple standing in the middle of the set moving alternatively to the top and bottom until all are back in their original places.

- - - Dance in place to complete music. - - - 32

5 - - - 1st man and 1st woman join right hands while 2nd and 3rd men and 2nd and 3rd woman do the same.

- - - Dance in a chain twice round the set (as with similar moves, this could finish with partners turning in place, or a swing). - - - 16

- - - Repeat whole dance (if with ‘progression’, at least twice more, so that each couple has the opportunity to dance it from the top).


O = man / X = woman

FIG. 1

1- 2- 3
X-X-X

O-O-O
1- 2- 3

* ‘could be reworked to be a ‘progression’, not ‘returning to places’ but finishing:

3- 2- 1
X-X-X

O-O-O
3- 2- 1


<[ NOTES: Another 6-Hand Reel, a dance for three couples. There is the possibility of working in a ‘progression’ near the end, as suggested above, then finishing with the ‘chain round’.

I have danced something similar from other traditions, but I do not remember coming across this one in Donegal, though there were several 6-Hand Reels/Dances in memory, at least mentioned. I’ll have to check my notes, but I can’t at the moment remember one called "6-Handed Duke". There is the unrelated "Cor an Diúic" / "The Duke Reel", danced to reels, the formation being for 3 couples in a ring/circle/triangle, hands round to start, with a body and two ‘official’ figures, with the figures danced in pairs clockwise, 1st couple with 2nd, then 2nd with 3rd, then 3rd with 1st, and then the Body again, including a ‘Finish’, "Swing Around", as described in the official collection “Ár Rincidhe Foirne: Thirty Popula Figure Dances”, pages 49 & 50, An Coimisiún Rincí Gaelacha = Body, Figure 1, Body, Figure 2, Body, Finish ~ some variations exist. ]>

Nice fiddle version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI0ScBLDbKs

play video

A version from the Winder manuscripts.. Called St Patrick’s Day in the Morning, from around 1830.
Www.andyhornby.net/Winders.html
AKA Barbary Bells.

This is the version that Beethoven arranged in Irish Tunes WoO 154, No. 4, collected by George Thomson. F major is the original key.

The lyrics that George Thomson set to this tune are by Sir Alexander Boswell, (1775 - 1822):

The pulse of an Irishman ever beats quicker,
whan war is the story, or love is the theme;
and place him where bullets fly thicker and thicker,
you’ll find him all cowardice scorning.
And tho’ a ball should maim poor Darby,
light at the heart he rallies on:
"Fortune is cruel, but Norah, my jewel,
is kind, and with smiling, all sorrow beguiling,
shall bid from our cabin all care to be gone,
and how they will jig it, and tug at the spigot,
an Patrick’s day in the mornin’."

O blest by the land in the wide western waters,
sweet Erin, lov’d Erin, the pride of my song;
still brave be the sons, and still fair be the daughters
thy meads and thy mountains adorning!
And tho’ the eastern sun seems tardy,
tho’ the pure light of knowledge slow,
night and delusion, and darkling confusion
like mists from the river shall vanish for ever,
and true Irish hearts with warm loyalty glow;
and proud exaltation burst forth from the nation
on Patrick’s day in the mornin’.