Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID# 107 (Ballydesmond Polka)

RhythmBars8-bar phrase structureMode
Polka32AABBA Dorian
Transcription of first 2 bars of Ballydesmond Polka
 about these two bars

These two bars are the start of my transcription of how this tune was played – the first time through – on the recording SatG (details in the Discography below).

Where do you get the tune titles?
Titles given to this tune in the sources listed below (plus notes of mine about this tune):
Ballydesmond Polka, The / Ballydesmond Polka #3 / Ballydesmond Polka No. 3 / The Ballydesmond Polka No. 3 / The Ballydesmond (3) / Balleydesmond No. 1 / Tom Billy's / Gneeveguilla Polka (3rd in set The Ballydesmond Polkas on SatG and in JOL) (also in D Dorian or E Dorian, also as air)
What do the "track#tune" codes mean?

cd Discography

Here are all recordings of this tune considering only the indexed recordings. I have discovered by careful listening that these sources are in fact musically the same tune, regardless of the tune titles they use, key changes, retuning, etc. They are listed in order of when they were recorded.

Year
Recorded		 Track
#Tune		 [Album code] Artist. Title. Primary musicians (instruments). Album details
and contents
~19699#3[SatG] Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford. The Star above the Garter. Fiddle music from Kerry, played by Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford. Denis Murphy (fiddle), Julia Clifford (fiddle).View album details
~199615#1[PCln] Pat Cloonan. Pat Cloonan's Thanksgiving. Patrick Cloonan (accordion).View album details
~199615#2[PCln] Pat Cloonan. Pat Cloonan's Thanksgiving. Patrick Cloonan (accordion).View album details
~20002#2[DH 3] Dan Herlihy and John Drew. The Ballydesmond Polka. Traditional Irish Music from Sliabh Luachra Played By Dan Herlihy and John Drew. Dan Herlihy (accordion), John Drew (mandocello).View album details
~20045(8:27)#6[Boh 4] Bohola. 4. Jimmy Keane (piano accordion, vocals, foot), Sean Cleland (fiddle), Pat Broaders (dordan, vocals), Kat Eggleston (vocals).View album details
~20049#2[JK 4] James Kelly. Melodic Journeys. James Kelly (fiddle).View album details

Bibliography

Here are all transcriptions of this tune under any title whatsoever – considering only the indexed books – listed in chronological order. I have discovered by careful comparison that these are very similar to this tune as played on the recordings listed above.

As tune #20#3 in volume 2 of [AW] Eithne Vallely. Learn to Play the Tin Whistle.
On page 130 of [RM] Randy Miller and Jack Perron. Irish Traditional Fiddle Music. [available]
As tune #59 in [JOL] Terry Moylan. Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra. Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border. [available]
As polka #11 in [MM] Martin Mulvihill. First Collection of Traditional Irish Music.
As tune #36 in [Cr] Matt Cranitch. The Irish Fiddle Book. [available]
In [L] Alan's private loose music.
As tune #75 in [IBPS] Pat Conway. Ireland's Best Polkas and Slides. [available]
On page 223 of [M2] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. Millennium Edition.
As polka #2 in [Cobb] Dan Cobb. Cobb's Music of Ireland. [available]
As tune #284 in [Raff] Lesl Harker. 300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty. [available]

If you are considering using the above transcriptions to help you learn this tune, I invite you to check these practical Tips for Learning Irish Traditional Music. See also: So why do you bother indexing books and abc?

Year of the oldest source for this tune, considering the recordings and transcriptions listed above (note that I concentrate on sources after 1900): 1969
Please cite your source when you use information from this document.
© 2000–2008 Alan Ng, agng@facstaff.wisc.edu. Questions? Comments? Please use the easy Feedback Form. Thank you!
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