Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID# 2830 (Kerry Cow)

RhythmBars8-bar phrase structureMode
Polka32AABBD Major
Transcription of first 2 bars of Kerry Cow
 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 MR 5 (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):
Kerry Cow, The / I Wish I Had a Kerry Cow / An Bhó Chiarraíoch / Bó Chiarraí / Peata Beag do Mháthar / The Road to Galway / Dá bhFaighinn Mo Rogha (also parts reversed) (compare as single jig and as reel included here as An Bealach ar fad go Gaillimh / All the Ways to Galway / All the Way to Galway / The March of the Tribes to Galway / The Galway Girls / Slash away the Pressing Gang / Sarsfield March / The Road to Lisdoonvarna; compare 2nd part with 2nd part of Road to Lisdoonvarna #1683)
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
~198912#3[SRn 1] Seán Ryan. Siúil Uait / Take the Air. Seán Ryan (whistle).View album details
199213#1[MR 5] Micho Russell. Ireland's Whistling Ambassador. Micho Russell (whistle, vocals).View album details
~19935#1[JCnly] Johnny Connolly. An tOileán Aerach. Johnny Connolly (accordion).View album details
~199817#1[BG 5] Bobby Gardiner. The Clare Shout. Bobby Gardiner (accordion, lilting).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 #109 in volume 3 of [R] Francis Roche. The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music. 3 vols. [available]
As tune #282 in [CRE 2] Breandán Breathnach. Ceol Rince na hÉireann 2.
As tune #116 in [CRE 2] Breandán Breathnach. Ceol Rince na hÉireann 2.
On page 46 of [Cr] Matt Cranitch. The Irish Fiddle Book. [available]
As tune #342 in [JOL] Terry Moylan. Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra. Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border. [available]
As tune #4 in [IBPS] Pat Conway. Ireland's Best Polkas and Slides. [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): 1927
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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