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.

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’.”

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||

X: 4
Téada: Inné Amárach

X: 5
Téada: Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQMBjpUhsPc

play video

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||

Planxty sing “Follow Me Up To Carlow” on https://thesession.org/recordings/240 in 6/8 (much as in the second part of https://thesession.org/tunes/8252). Same ‘tune’ though I think.

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.

Angelina played this Fahy tune after Bonnie Anne
https://thesession.org/tunes/1402#setting32242

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