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Tom Ward’s Downfall reel

Also known as Follow Me Down To Carlow, The Long Hills Of Mourne, Mountains Of Mourne, The Mountains Of Mourne, Mourne Mountains, The Mourne Mountains, O’Leary’s, Tom Wall’s Downfall, Tom Ward’s Downfall.

There are 115 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Tom Ward’s Downfall appears in 5 other tune collections.

Tom Ward’s Downfall has been added to 40 tune sets.

Tom Ward's Downfall has been added to 276 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Five settings

1
X: 1
T: Tom Ward's Downfall
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
|:BG~G2 AGFG|EG~G2 AEGE|DEGA ~B2Bd|(3=fed ^cd Bdgd|
BG~G2 AFGF|ECC2 ACGE|DEGA B2Bd|ecdc BGGA||
BDAD GDFD|EG~G2 AEGE|DEGA B3d|ed^cd Bdgd|
BGG2 AFGF|ECC2 ACGE|DEGA ~B2Bd|ecdc BGGA||
dgg^f g2ag|~e2ab adga|bg~g2 agef|(3gfe dc BGGA|
dgg2 bgag|eaab adga|bg~g2 agef|(3gfe dc BGGA||
dgg2 abag|~e2ab adga|bg~g2 agef|(3gfe dc BGGA|
dgg2 bgag|eaab adga|bg~g2 agef|(3gfe dc (3Bcd gd:|
2
X: 2
T: Tom Ward's Downfall
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
BGGA GEDG|~E3G AEGE|DEGA B2Bd|ed~d2(3Bcd gd|
BG~G2{A}GEDG|~E3G AEGE|DEGA B2Bd|egdc BG~G2:|
dgga gedg|eaag adga|bg~g2 ageg|gedc BG~G2|
dgga gedg|eaag a2ga|bg~g2 ageg|gedc BGBd||
~g3a gedg|eaag adga|bg~g2 ageg|gedc BG~G2|
dgga gedg|eaag a2ga|bg~g2 ageg|gedc BGdc||
3
X: 3
T: Tom Ward's Downfall
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
A|BGGF GEDG|EDEG ABGE|DEGA ~B2Bd|ed^cd Bdgd|
BGGF GEDG|EDEG ABGE|DEGA ~B2Bd|egdc BGG:|
B|dggf gedg|eaag a2ga|bggb agef|gedc BGGB|
dggf gedg|eaag a2ga|bggb agef|gedc BGG:|
4
X: 4
T: Tom Ward's Downfall
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
A|:BGGF GEDG|EDEG AEGE|DEGA BABd|ed d2 Bdgd|
BGGF GEDG|EDEG AEGE|DEGA ~B3 c|1 dBAc BAGA:|2 dBAc BABc||
dggf gedg|eaag a2 ga|bg~g2 agef|gedc BABc|
dggf gedg|eaag a2 ga|bg ~g2 agef|1 gedc BABc:|2 gedc BAGA||
5
X: 5
T: Tom Ward's Downfall
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
BG G2 GEDG|EDEG A2 GE|DEGA B2 Bd|ed d2 egdc|
BGGF GEDG|EDEG ABGE|DEGA B2 Bd|1 egdc BGGA:|2 egdc BAGB||
|:dggf gedg|eaag a2 ga|bg g2 agef|gedc BGGB|
dggf gedg|eaag a2 ga|bggb agef|1 gedc BAGB:|2 gedc BGGA||

Twelve comments

Josh, this sounds like a very ‘personalized’ version - lots of unusual twists and turns. Is it transcribed from a recording? If so, whose? The F-naturals (or rather, absence of F#) is an interesting touch. I’d have called it G mixolydian, rather than C major, though.

This is, in fact, transcribed from a recording. However, sadly, I can’t remember the name of the recording.
My friend Phil plays it this way and this is how he taught it to me.

Tom Ward’s Downfall

T:Tom Ward’s Downfall
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Dan Healy & Ciaran O’Raghallaigh
R:reel
Z:GianMarcoPietrasanta
K:G
BGGA GEDG|~E3G AEGE|DEGA B2Bd|ed~d2(3Bcd gd|
BG~G2{A}GEDG|~E3G AEGE|DEGA B2Bd|egdc BG~G2:|
dgga gedg|eaag adga|bg~g2 ageg|gedc BG~G2|
dgga gedg|eaag a2ga|bg~g2 ageg|gedc BGBd||
~g3a gedg|eaag adga|bg~g2 ageg|gedc BG~G2|
dgga gedg|eaag a2ga|bg~g2 ageg|gedc BGdc||

“Tom Ward’s Downfall” ~ another take

As with this transcription, F natural doesn’t fit except to grate, any pass from one thing to another that you could slip an F into would be sharp… So, this tune is in G Major, as in this alternate take on it, not C and not mixolydian:

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on August 16th 2002 by gian marco.
https://thesession.org/tunes/898

Source??

Ha! Josh you or Phil have to dig up your source- fun variations and I have to hear what they play the other times through!

Posted by .

Tom Ward’s Downfall

Does anybody know/guess who Tom Ward was and what was his Downfall?

Tom Ward

That’s been asked here already: https://thesession.org/discussions/27486 The theory about him being in Sinn Féin I’m pretty sure I read in liner notes - one of the old Shanachie LPs, or the modern Vesey or Gorman CDs, probably.