The Rattlin’ Bog polka

My first attempt of posting a tune.
I noticed that the L: is 1/8 on this song.
You may want to edit it over to 1/16. That is what it is written in.

Laura

Hi Laura,

I’ve re-written the ABC notation so that it now matches the "polka" designation. No need for anybody to edit the "L:" field.

I don’t know the tune, but it seems like there is a measure missing in the B section.

Cheers,
-danno

A band from Newfoundland called The Irish Descendents did a song on one of their albums by this name… and with this tune. There were about a dozen verses and the song keeps on speeding up with each additional verse… great for when you’re sitting around a camp fire or having a few drinks! Anyway, the words go something like:

Chorus:
Ho Ho the rattlin’ bog, the bog down in the valley-o
Ho Ho the rattlin’ bog, the bog down in the valley-o.

Verse 1:
And in that bog there was a hole, a rare hole a rattlin’ hole.
The hole in the bog, the bog down in the valley-o

Chorus:

Verse 2:
And in that hole there was a tree, a rare tree a rattlin’ tree.
The tree’s in the hole, the hole’s in the bog, the bog down in the valley-o..

Chorus:

And it goes on and on and on…

Best,
Wes

We thought this was a Scottish tune, but The Fiddler’s Companion has it as Irish, so presumably it’s an Irish tune and a Scottish song. It is played for North-West Morris.

We play it in G with a pronounced beat (but pretty fast) in sets of polkas eg. Rakes of Mallow/Bricks and Mortar/Rattling Bog.

K: G Major
B2 B>A | GE E2 | DG G/F/G/A/ | BA Ad |
B/c/B/A/ B>A | GE EG/E/ | Dd dB | AG G2 ||
BG AG | BG G>A | Bd- dB | BA AG/A/ |
BG AG | BG AG | B/c/d dB | AG G2 ||

K: G Major
|: G>A |
B2 B>A | GE ED | EA AB/A/ | GE ED |
B>c BA | GE ED | EA AB/A/ | G2 :|
|: GA |
BA AG | BA AG | A2 AB/A/ | GE ED |
c/B/A AG | BA AG | A2 AB/A/ | G2 :|

http://www.petemcdonald.com/print/rattlinbog.htm

We used to call it ‘The bog down in Dubally O’ (the valley O) but for years I’ve called the tune ‘Bog Cotton’ That’s is the name shown on many scottish country dance band records where the tune is included. I’ve also come across it under Bog Cotton in a book of tunes suitable for the dance ‘The Seige of Ennis’

This is the tune also known as the "Siege of Ennis" in some quarters. Years ago it was often played after "Port Lairge" making for a nice a pair of polkas

Slainte submitted a Highland Setting of ‘The Primrose Lassies’ a while back:
https://thesession.org/tunes/789/comments
This version is v close to The Rattlin’ Bog, I find! (It’s fairly obvious in the 1st part, less so in the 2d part if you only look at the dots: but the rhythm + feel of it is close indeed)
The whole is closer to this polka than any other setting of The Primrose Lasses I’ve had a look at.

X: 1
T: The Primrose Lassies
S: Harry Bradley
M: 4/4
L:1/8
R: highland
K: D Major
f2f>e d2d>B|A>Bd>e f<BB>e|f2f>e d2d>B|1 A>da>g f<dd>e:|2 A>da>g f<dd>B||
A>df>d a>df>d|A>df>d e<BB2|A>df>d a>df>d|f/g/a e>g f<dd>B|
A>df>d a>df>d|A>df>d e<BB>e|f2f>e d2d>B|A>da>g f<dd>e|]

~ /tunes/11853
Submitted on March 23rd 2012 by fiddlerman.
https://thesession.org/members/82037

X: 4
T: Rattlin’ Bog, The
T: Seige of Ennis #1, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
|: f2 f>e | dB Bd | Ad d/c/d/e/ | fe ea |
f2 f>e | dB Bd | Aa ag | fe e>f :|
|: fd ed | fd ed/e/ | ea af | ed e>e |
fd ed | fd ed/e/ | ea af |[1 ed d>e :|[2 ed d2 |]

Comments to follow ~

"Allan’s Irish Fiddler: Containing 120 Reels & Jigs, Hornpipes & Set Dances selected from all sources, arranged by Hugh McDermott"
Mozart Allan, Glasgow
Page 30, Set Dances #118: "The Seige of Ennis"

& the ‘comments’ from the above rescued transcription ~


Origin: So, the site I learned this tune from (http://www.oldmusicproject.com/allans.html) calls it The Siege of Ennis, but there’s already a Siege of Ennis on this site, and it’s not the same. I tried advanced searching the first couple bars and nothing came up so I decided to post it as "Gan Ainm." If anyone knows it and knows the name, please let me know.

Anyway, this is one of my absolute favorites to play solo (on fiddle). I love how much of the range it uses, and the modulation to Gmaj in the middle sections. I usually play through it and then go back to the beginning and end on the second ending of the second part.

# Posted on March 23rd 2012 by fiddlerman



Not 1 tune - you’ve got 3 tunes there,
"The Rattlin’ Bog" - "Farewell To Whisky" - and "Spanish Ladies"

First: "The Rattlin’ Bog"

Second: https://thesession.org/tunes/1529

Third: https://thesession.org/tunes/1117

# Posted on March 23rd 2012 by Kenny


Yep, these were the three tunes that Allan’s Irish Fiddler suggested for the Siege of Ennis.

"Allan" being Mozart Allan:

http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/eyrwho/eyrwho0205.htm

It can be assumed that "Hugh McDermott picked the tunes for the dance.

# Posted on March 24th 2012 by Weejie


"The Siege of Ennis" ~ not our first mass/set submission…

Does anyone use polkas for this dance? 32 bar jigs seem more the norm, and sometimes reels…

# Posted on March 24th 2012 by ceolachan

polka: The Siege Of Ennis
Submitted on May 6th 2003 by Nutty Nessie.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1640

polka: The Irish R. M.
Submitted on October 26th 2005 by Ptarmigan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5119

Music for the Seige of Ennis
# Posted on September 10th 2005 by CELTICCHEF83
https://thesession.org/discussions/7711

Polkas for siege of ennis set
# Posted on November 10th 2009 by hakanozel
https://thesession.org/discussions/23069

polka: "Salmon Tails Down The Water"
Submitted on April 27th 2004 by Grack.
https://thesession.org/tunes/2903

Cheers ‘heptachord’ that’s a nice setting of the tune, which also adds in the bar (3rd from end) that was already noted as absent in the first version.

I have heard it suggested that "John McAlpine" is an inspiration for this melody.

https://thesession.org/tunes/14497

Rattling bog Key A

Taking it back to basics

Is that version, X6, not in G maj?? (No C#s in the tune, anyway! 😉

Setting from Hope Hoffman’s and Jeff Trippe’s album.

This is how they play it at my local session.