As I Went Out Upon The Ice polka

Also known as As I Went On The Ice, As I Went Out On The Ice, As I Went Upon The Ice, Dave Piggott’s, Johnny O’Leary’s, O’Leary’s Favourite, Out On The Ice.

There are 24 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The Knocknaboul (a few times),
Jimmy Doyle’s (a few times),
The Top Of The Maol (a few times),
Camptown Races (a few times) and
The Munster Bank (a few times).

As I Went Out Upon The Ice appears in 3 other tune collections.

As I Went Out Upon The Ice has been added to 4 tune sets.

As I Went Out Upon The Ice has been added to 93 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Eleven settings

X: 1
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

X: 2
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

X: 3
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

X: 4
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

X: 5
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

X: 6
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
eA BA | eA AB/2d/2 | eA BA | G2 Gg/2f/2 |
eA BA | eA BA | GB dB |1 A2 g>f :|2 A2 AB/2d/2 ||
|: ea ab | ag g/2e/2d | Bd ef | ga/2g/2 fg/2f/2 |
ea ab/2g/2 | ag ed | Bd gB |1 A2 AB/2d/2 :|2 A2 g>f ||

X: 7
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
|: g>f |eA BA | eA AB/d/ | eA BA | G2 Gg/f/ |
eA BA | eA BA | GB dB | A2 :|
|: AB/d/ ||: ea ab | ag g/e/d | Bd ef | ga/g/ fg/f/ |
ea ab/g/ | ag ed | Bd gB | A2 :|

X: 8
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

X: 9
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
g>f |eA BA | eA AB/d/ | eA BA | G2 g>f |
eA BA | eA B/c/B/A/ | G>B d/e/d/B/ | A2 g>f |
eA BA | eA A>g | eA BA | G2 g>f |
eA BA | eA B>A | G>B dB | A2 ||
AB/d/ |ea a>b | ag e>d | B/c/d ef | g2 g2 |
ea ab | ag e>d | Bd gB | A2 AB/d/ |
ea a>b | ag e/f/e/d/ | Bd ef | g2 g2 |
ea a>b | ag ed | Bd gB | A2 ||
AB/d/ |eA B/c/A | eA A>g | eA BA | G2 GB/d/ |
e>A BA | eA B>A | G>B dB | A2 g>f |
eA BA | eA AB/d/ | eA B/c/B/A/ | G2 GB/d/ |
e/f/e/A/ BA | eA B>A | G>B dB | A2 ||
g>f |ea a>b | ag e>d | B/c/d ef | g2 fg |
ea a>b | ag e>d | Bd gB | A2 A>d |
ea- a>b | ag e>d | Bd ef | g2 gf/g/ |
ea a>b | ag e>d | B/c/d gB | A2 |]

X: 10
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
gf ||:e>A BA | e2 AB/d/ | eA B/c/B/A/ | G2 G2 |
eA BA | eA B/c/B/A/ | G>e dB |[1 A2 g>f :|[2 A2 A2 ||
e2 a>b | ag ed | Bd ef | g2 fg/f/ |
ea ab | ag ed | B/c/d/B/ gB | A2 A2 :|

X: 11
T: As I Went Out Upon The Ice
R: polka

Twenty-five comments

"As I Went Out Upon the Ice"

A member, ‘dubhghaill’, made an inquiry in discussions:

Discussion: West Kerry Polka
# Posted on July 22nd 2007 by dubhghaill
https://thesession.org/discussions/14536

That sent me out looking for polkas from West Kerry, and in particular polkas that began eA ~… I found several, including some melodies that I couldn’t find on site here, though some seem to share the same name and even share parts… I found this, with two different B-parts.

Here are some others on site to compare these two takes with ~

"Tralee Gaol" ~ Also known as: "As I Went Out Upon The Ice", "Glen Cottage", "Glen Cottage Polka #2", "Glen Cottage Polka 2", "Glen Cottage Polka No.2", "The Green Cockade", "The Haughs O’ Cromdale", "The Haughs Of Cromdale", "O’Neill’s March".
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on November 6th 2002 by alastair wilson.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1113

"The Glen Cottage Polka"
Key signature: E Dorian
Submitted on December 5th 2005 by hetty.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5278

& ~ there is another take also known as "As I Went Out Upon the Ice", and also beginning eA ~ … 😏

|: eA BA | eA BA | eA BA | ~ It may be different enough to also warrant a place on site, if it isn’t already here in one key or t’other…

My earliest personal records for these ABCs is the 1970s… More to follow…

|: eA BA | eA BA | eA BA | ~

The transcripts I have with this ‘repeat’ given previously are more often associated with the name "Dalaigh’s" (Daley’s)…

(N🙂 removed for now, remembering last time it didn’t work… 😏

Just to remind anyone curious or confused, the ABCs offer two different versions attached to this name, both with the same basic A-part but different B-parts…

( N: )

"As I Went Out Upon the Ice" ~ 1970s & some slight variations

"As I Went Out Upon the Ice" ~ as usually taken & notated

These all sound the same! I’m glad you have them sorted out in your head. I think I’ll stick with reels, hee heeeee.

😀 ~ duh!

That was the idea, and also why I only gave the first introductory bars, to show that mostly the tune is taken as given in the first transcription, the second being the odd one out… It was and is not uncommon for A & B parts to get mixed up and come out somewhere with an alternate name…

~ or worse, the same name… 😉

"As I Went Out Upon The Ice" ~ another take on the B part 😎

As I Went Out Upon the Ice

This looks like the same tune to me:
https://thesession.org/tunes/7528

It’s a polka, not a reel.

As I went out etc.

Same tune, posted by ceolachan, but with extra bits. I have to say I expect him to be generally correct.

Mac, this is a polka so 2/4 time signature with quavers is correct. You have 4/4 but with quavers as the "basic" note length, should be crotchets in 4/4. Doesn’t add up!

Also, the tonality is around A, so the key is not a D key (& not 2 #, either).
Ceolachan’s posting shows 1 #. and A dorian as the key; i.e. A tonality with a G key signature.

All the best

Peter Jenkins

"As I Went Out Upon the Ice" ~ rescued duplication

"…(& not 2 #, either)…."

There are no Cs or C#s in the tune (in this setting, at least) so it makes no difference to the melody whether or not there is a C# in the key signature. However, if you are using A minor* as an accompanying chord, then the hypothetical C# would clash.

*An A major chord, whilst bringing out a different character in the tune, would not necessarily be incorrect. Leaving out the 3rd of the chord (‘A5’ - consisting of A and E notes only) would allow both possibilities.

definitely the same tune, not "totally" different.

Notes from the rescued duplication above ~ & as originally submitted

Near relative imho …

This tune reminds me that one called Dalaigh’s that can be confusing, especially on the A part 😏
https://thesession.org/tunes/7531

X: 8 "O’Leary’s Favourite"

S: (primary) “Jimmy Doyle & Dan O’Leary: Traditional Music From The Kingdom Of Kerry”
https://thesession.org/recordings/1247 ~ track 9 (Side B, track 2) ~ the 2nd polka of two

Q: 136 bpm (1 beat = one crotchet/quarter note)

Other options from the playing of Jimmy Doyle and Dan O’Leary, and one or two I’ve picked up along the way… 😉

X: 9 "As I Went Out Upon The Ice" - Johnny O’Leary

- Breandan Breathnach transcription of Johnny O’Leary’s playing

Ceol: A Journal of Irish Music - Vol. V (1), July 1981, pages 14 - 18

"The Man and His Music - Johnny O’Leary"
an article by Breandan Breathnach
page 15, tune #5: "As I Went Out Upon the Ice"

X: 10 not X: 9

Weird! I’m not sure how that order changed, but the just mentioned transcription, Breandan Breathnach’s for Johnny O’Leary, the previous two comments, is not X: 9 but X: 10…

Re: As I Went Out Upon The Ice

Has a resemblance to Shootin’ the Bull (https://thesession.org/tunes/2559). A few polkas/singles played in Newfoundland seem to have a Kerry influence.

As I Went Out Upon The Ice, X:11

From the playing of Katrien Delavier.

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