The Castle Of Dromore waltz

After listening to a dozen different takes of this old lullaby and older melody I decided against following the many attempts at transcribing it in 6/8, which just seemed daft. Listening to different attempts at accompaniment it seemed that most were actually giving it the feel of 3/4 time rather than 6/8, but not that damn old boom-chuck-chuck way, with more consideration for it… It is a tough number giving something like this a final form. Apologies if it is not quite as you remember it. I’m hoping others will add their way with it here.

I’ll be back to at least add some historical transcripts for comparison. I believe it is in O’Neill. Kenny was trying to spur me or Ptarmigan to ‘full house’ a certain recording, when that’s what I was already working on, with this tune and getting a correction for the spelling of another… 😉

"Stanford/Petrie Complete Collection", 1905, #509

X: 1
T: My wife is sick and like to die, oh dear what shall I do
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
S: "Stanford/Petrie Complete Collection", 1905, #509
K: F Major
A/B/ | c2 c c2 c | d2 c cde | f2 B A2 B | c3 z2 ||
d/e/ | f2 F F2 F | G2 F FGA | B2 d c2 B | A3 z2 ||
d/e/ | fgf efe | ded c2 B | A2 c BAG | F3 || A2 c |
BcB G2 B | A2 F A2 c | BcB G2 E | F3 F ||

Oops, missed a bit ~ the above is courtesy of ~

‘The Fiddler’s Companion’
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/MY_MZ.htm#MY_WIFE_IS_SICK_AND_LIKE_TO_DIE,_OH_DEAR_WHAT_SHALL_I_DO

X: 52
T: The Castle Of Dromore
B: "O’Neill’s Music Of Ireland", 1903, #52
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
Q: 1/4 = 60
R: Lullaby / air
K: D Major
F/G/ | A2 A A2 A | B2 A (ABc | d2 G F2 G | A3 -A2 B/c/ |
d2 D D2 D | E2 D DEF | G2 B A2 G | F3- F2 B/c/ ||
ded cdc | BcB A2 G | F2 A GFE | D3 F2 A |
GAG E2 G | FGA D2 F | G2 E D2 C | D3- D2 |]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dromore_Castle

http://www.lisburn.com/dromore-historical/Journal-1/journal-1-4.html

http://www.irishpage.com/poems/dromore.htm

October winds lament around the castle of Dromore,
Yet peace is in her lofty halls, a pháiste bán a stór.
Though autumn leaves may droop and die, a bud of spring are you,
Sing hushaba, lú, lá, lú, ló, lán, sing hushaba, lú, ló, lán…

Send no ill will to hinder us, my helpless babe and me,
Dread spirits of the Blackwater, Clan Eoghain’s wild banshee.
And holy Mary pitying us in heaven for grace doth sue,
Sing hushaba, lú, lá, lú, ló, lán, sing hushaba, lú, ló, lán…

Take time to thrive, my rose of hope, in the garden of Dromore,
Take heed young eaglet till your wings are feathered fit to soar.
A little rest and then our land is full o’ things to do,
Sing hushaba, lú, lá, lú, ló, lán, sing hushaba, lú, ló, lán…

The October winds lament around the castle of Dromore,
Yet peace is in her lofty halls, a pháiste bán a stór.
Though autumn leaves may droop and die, a bud of spring are you,
Sing hushaba, lú, lá, lú, ló, lán, sing hushaba, lú, ló, lán…

Tá gaotha an gheimhridh sgallta fuar, thart thimchioll an Drom’-mhóir,
Ach ann sna halla tá siothchán, a pháiste gheal a stóir.
Ta gach sean-duilleog dul air crith, ach is og an beannglan thú,
Seinimis lothin lú ló lan, seinim loithin lú ló

Nár thig aon droch-rud idir mé’s mo naoidheanán gan bhrón,
Nar thig aon tais ó’n Abhainn Mhóir na Bean-sidhe Chloinne Eoghain,
á Muire Máthair ós ár g-cionn ag iarradh grása duinn;
Seinimis lothin lú ló lan, seinim loithin lú ló

A Róis mo chroídhe, a Slaithín ur a’s gharrha an Drom’-mhóir,
Bí ag fás go mbeídh gach cleite beag, mar sgiathán iolair mhóir,
Agus léim ann sin air fad an t-saoghail, oibrigh a’s saothraigh clú;
Seinimis lothin lú ló lan, seinim loithin lú ló

Are there really five? ~ Down, Kerry, Limerick, Tyrone ~ and somewhere in Scotland? 😏

Oh yeah, just in case someone was wondering, the English words came first, or so I understand…

6/4 ~ I’ve seen it transcribed that way too…

HI, i know this only by the name that’s been given, I like the melody though, it becomes a wonderful flute piece, thanks for posting it, takair jb

Always had a soft spot for this tune. First heard it when we sang it at school in the forties. Incidentally we sang it in English. Later on we played it in the band as an old time waltz in the days of ceili and old time dancing.

There are a many places called An Droim Mór here is a list of some of them:

http://www.logainm.ie/ga/s?txt=Dromore&str=on&pag=1

The Bann is mentioned in one version of this song:

The Bann may flood its winding banks,
Near the Castle of Dromore;
Yet no ill thing shall come between,
My babe and my heart’s core.
The little folk will smile on you,
From eve till morning’s dew;
Sleep hush-a-by loohan, lo-lo-lan,
Sleep hush-a-by-lo, lo-lan:’

However I know of only two rivers called the Bann one in the north and one in Wexford. Dromore in County Down is situated about 5-6 miles from the Bann in Banbridge. And I havn’t found any place called Dromore in Wexford. The river that flows through Dromore in Kerry where Dromore Castle is situated is called an Néidín or Kenmare river

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dromore_Castle

So this one remains a mystery to me.

That said I love this air. Leo Rowesome made a beautiful recording of it which is available on The Drones and Chanters Irish Pipering. https://www.irishtune.info/album/DC1/

I am pleased that you made your comment re. time signature at the beginning ‘c’. When first seeing this as 3/4 (without looking down the page) my reaction was ‘what a boring waltz’ but after reading your comment I felt that I knew exactly what was required. As I play box and nearly always use my bass buttons I treat each bar as if it was half of a 6/8 bar (emphasis on beats 1 & 3. hope I’m not confusing anyone) but will not keep to the vamping rigidly, sometimes just playing a chord only e.g on the first note in bars 25, 26, 28 & 31 and that might change each time anyway.