Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID# 255 (Buttermilk Mary)

RhythmBars8-bar phrase structureMode
Double jig32AABBG Major
Transcription of first 2 bars of Buttermilk Mary
 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 FBros (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):
Buttermilk Mary / Coleman's / Port Coleman (also in A)
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
19265#1[FBros] The Flanagan Brothers. The Tunes We Like to Play on Paddy's Day. Joe Flanagan (accordion), Louis Flanagan (guitar, banjo), Mike Flanagan (banjo, vocals, mandolin).View album details
19948#2[MvC 1] Moving Cloud. Moving Cloud. Paul Brock (accordion), Maeve Donnelly (fiddle, viola), Manus McGuire (fiddle), Kevin Crawford (flute and percussion), Carl Hession (piano).View album details
~19959#1[JDa 2] Jackie Daly. Domhnach Is Dálach. Many's a Wild Night. Jackie Daly (accordion).View album details
~20038#3[NCrg 3] North Cregg. Summer at My Feet. Ciarán Coughlan (piano, harmonium), Fiona Kelleher (vocals), Christy Leahy (accordion), Martin Leahy (drums, percussion), Paul Meehan (banjo, guitar, mandolin), Caoimhín Vallely (fiddle, piano).View album details
~20034#1[MatH] Brendan Bulger, Marty Fahey, Kathleen Gavin. Music at the House. Brendan Bulger (fiddle), Marty Fahey (accordion, piano), Kathleen Gavin (piano).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 #1002 in [1850] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. [available]
As tune #217 in [1001] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. The Dance Music of Ireland. 1001 Gems. [available]
On page 52 of [Krsn] Miles Krassen. O'Neill's Music of Ireland. New and Revised. [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): 1903