Follow Me Down reel

Also known as Bonnie Anne’s, Follow Me Down To Carlow, Follow Me Up, Lady Lubeck.

There are 17 recordings of this tune.
This tune has been recorded together with

Follow Me Down appears in 3 other tune collections.

Follow Me Down has been added to 2 tune sets.

Follow Me Down has been added to 43 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Seven settings

1
X: 1
T: Follow Me Down
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Bdor
BcBA FGA2|BABc defe|dcdA FABb|afec dBB2:|
fd~d2 fdad|cA~A2 cde=g|fd~d2 fdab|afec dBB2|
bafg afec|dcdA FAdA|BABc dfbg|afec dBB2:|
2
X: 2
T: Follow Me Down
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
ABAG EG~G2|AGAB cded|~c3G EFGB|1 Aage aAAG:|2 Aage aAAd||
egcg ecgc|BdGB dGBd|g2ec gcea|gedB BAAg|
agea gedB|cBcG EFGB|~A3G ABcd|eage aAAG||
3
X: 3
T: Follow Me Down
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Bmin
BcBA FA~A2|~B3c dgfe|dccA FA~A2|1 afec dBBA:|2 afec dBeg||
fddg fdad|cA~A2 cdeg|fddF (3Bcd ba|afec dB~B2|
bafa afec|dcdA FAAF|~B3c dfba|afec dBBA||
BcBA FAec|~B3c dgfe|decA FAa^g|1 afec dBBA:|2 afec f~g2g||
~f3e (3f^ga ed|cA~A2 cdeg|~f3f faba|afec dBBb|
bafa afec|dcdA FAec|~B3c dfba|afec dBBA||
4
X: 4
T: Follow Me Down
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Bdor
BcBA FGAF|~B3c defe|dcdA FGAg|1 afec dBBA:|2 afec dBBe||
fd~d2 fdad|cA~A2 cde=g|fd~d2 (3fga bg|afec dBBa|
bafg afec|dcdA FGAc|~B3c dfbg|afec dBBA||
5
X: 5
T: Follow Me Down
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
ABAG EFGE|~A3B cded|cBcG EFGf|1 gedB cAAG:|2 gedB cAAd||
ec~c2 ecgc|BG~G2 Bcd=f|ec~c2 (3efg af|gedB cAAg|
agef gedB|cBcG EFGB|~A3B ceaf|gedB cAAG||
6
X: 6
T: Follow Me Down
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
||ABAG EGGB|AGAB cded|ceAG EFGB|Aage aAAB|
A2 AG EG G2|(3ABA AB cded|ceAG EFGB|Aage aAAd||
egcg ecgc|(3BBB GB dGBd|g2 ec gcea|gede cAA2|
agea gedB|cBcG EFGB|A2 (3AAA ABcd|eage aA A2||
A2 AG EGGB|AEAB cded|cAag ef (3gfe|aged ceBe|
(3ABA AG EGGB|AE AB cded|cAag efge|aged cA Ag||
egdg egdc|BGGA Bcd=f|dee=f eAab|aged eAAe|
a2 ea aged|ceAG EFGB|(3ABA AB cdef|g2 ga gedB||
7
X: 7
T: Follow Me Down
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
|:~A3G E3G|AGAB d3B|ABAG EGG2|1 gded BAGB:|2 gded BAA2||
agef g3d|B2AG EG G2|agef g3d|B2dB BAAe|
agef g3d|BAAG EGGB|AGAB d3B|dged BAGB||

Thirteen comments

Follow Me Down (reel)

Source: Jackie Daly And Seamus Creagh by Jackie Daly And Seamus Creagh
Transcription: gian marco pietrasanta

This sounds like a reel version of the song, Follow Me Down (Up) to Carlow, which is usually sung with more of a polka swing to it.

Posted .

Follow Me *Up*

Is it misnamed on the recording? A very similar but slightly different version of this tune appears on a couple of recent recordings. It is listed as “Bonnie Anne’s” on Angelina Carberry “An Traidisiun Beo”, and as “Lady Lubeck” on “Hidden Fermanagh Vol.1”

Related versions of the tune:
https://thesession.org/tunes/1583
https://thesession.org/tunes/4168

From the sleeve notes of A. Carberry CD:
“The source of this first reel” is a collection of 105 tunes entitled ‘Oriel Songs and Dances’ published in the Louth Archaeological Journal“ of 1909 by folklorist the Reverend Luke Donnellan.”

From the notes of “Hidden Fermanagh” book on page 103:
“Lady Luebeck’s Reel: From ‘The Gunn Book.’ This is the same tune as for the song ‘Follow Me Up To Carlow’ by PJ McCall. The air is reputed to have first been performed by the pipers of Feagh MacHugh as he marched to attack Carlow in 1580…. However, it was also published in 1775 by Scots fiddler Daniel Dow as his own composition, ‘Bonnie Anne’. We have not been able to find any reference to the name ‘Lady Luebeck’.”

It’s on Teada’s new album too

They play it as Follow Me *Down*: the identical version in Amin on A. Carberry CD and “Hidden Fermanagh Vol.1”, I believe. Check their website for the sound clip: http://www.teada.com

Angelina Carberry’s version is more or less as follows:

X: 1
T: Bonnie Anne’s
T: Follow Me Up To Carlow
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
D: Angelina Carberry
K: Ador
ABAG EG~G2|AGAB cded|~c3A EFGB|1c Aage aAAG:|2 Aage aAAd||
egcg ecgc|BdGB dGBd|g2ec gcea|gedB BAAg|
agea gedB|cBcG EFGB|~A3G ABcd|eage aAAG||

X: 1
T: Follow Me Down
M: C|
L: 1/8
R: Reel
S: O’Neill –Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems (1907), No. 547
K: Ador
AGAG EFGB|A^GAB cded|cBcA EFGa |1 gedB cAdc:|2 gedB cAA2||
ec (3ccc ecgc|BGdG BGdG|ec (3ccc egfa|gedB cAA2|
agea gedB|cBcG EFGB|A^GAB ceaf|gedB cAA2||

Here’s a version I came up with based on the bits I like from Jackie Daly/Seamus Creagh, Teada & friends from Sydney.

X: 1
T: Follow Me Down To Carlow
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Bdor
BcBA FGAF|~B3c defe|dcdA FGAg|1 afec dBBA:|2 afec dBBe||
fd~d2 fdad|cA~A2 cde=g|fd~d2 (3fga bg|afec dBBa|
bafg afec|dcdA FGAc|~B3c dfbg|afec dBBA||

And the same transposed down into Ador..

X: 1
T: Follow Me Down To Carlow
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
ABAG EFGE|~A3B cded|cBcG EFGf|1 gedB cAAG:|2 gedB cAAd||
ec~c2 ecgc|BG~G2 Bcd=f|ec~c2 (3efg af|gedB cAAg|
agef gedB|cBcG EFGB|~A3B ceaf|gedB cAAG||

Follow Me Down, X:6

I was going through some old recordings I made during Angelina Carberry’s banjo class at Irish Arts week 2007.
I found a track where she demonstrated a beautiful variation of the Bonnie Ann tune. She first played her normal setting and the then the variation. They work well one after the other.

Follow Me Down, X:7

As played by Michelle O’Brien, Aogan Lynch & Gavin Ralston on “Sham’s Palace” track from “The Album” (2016).