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Sord Cholmcille polka

Also known as Columba’s Sword, Sord Colmcille, Sword Colmcille, The Sword Of Saint Columba, The Sword Of St. Columba.

There are 3 recordings of this tune.

Sord Cholmcille has been added to 2 tune sets.

Sord Cholmcille has been added to 20 tunebooks.

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Two settings

1
X: 1
T: Sord Cholmcille
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|: DF AB/c/ | dd c/B/A | A,C E>F | GG F/G/F/E/ |
DF AB/c/ | dd c/B/A | A,C E>F | ED D2 :|
|: fA fA | f3 d/f/ | eA eA | e3 d/e/ |
fA fA | f2 g/f/e/d/ | cA Bc | d/e/d/c/ d2 :|
# Added by jakep .
2
X: 2
T: Sord Cholmcille
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|: GB de/f/ |gg f/e/d | DF A>B | cc B/c/B/A/ |
GB de/f/ | gg f/e/d | D>F A/c/B/A/ |GG G2 :|
|: BD BD | BB/c/ B/A/G | cE cE | cc/d/ c/B/A/G/ |
BD BD | BB/c/ B/A/G/B/ | c/B/A/G/ F/G/A/F/ | GG G2 :|

Seven comments

Lovely polka! Anyone else know anything about it?

Maggie in the Woods

This polka is Maggie in the Woods, which is usually played for the last figure of the Connemara set.

The first one in the clip is Maggie in the Woods, but the tune mandokid has transcribed is the next tune in the YouTube set.

X:2 - this is the version that is commonly played at English traditional sessions where it is known as "The Sword of St. Columba."

Sord Cholmcille

"Gaelic: Sord Cholmcille - St. Colmcille’s Well

The town’s origins date back to 560 AD when it was founded by Saint Colmcille (521-597). Legend has it that the saint blessed a local well, giving the town its name, Sord, meaning "clear" or "pure". However, An Sord also means "the water source" and could indicate a large communal drinking well that existed in antiquity. St. Colmcille’s Well is located on Well Road off Swords Main Street…
…The original word is properly written "Sord," or "Surd," which is interpreted "clear," or "pure," although in modern Irish the word so spelt bears the meaning of "order … industry … diligence." The w came into it after the settlement of the English, who wrote the name Swerds, though pronounced Swords, as the verb shew has the sound of show…

Swords, north County Dublin, Ireland

http://gaelart.net/swordshistory.html#.UYTh7Uqjkrs