Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID#3385 (Tom Billy's)
about these two barsThese two bars were transcribed by me from how this tune was played – the first time through – on the recording PS 6 (details in the Discography below).
| Rhythm ? | Bars | 8-bar phrase structure | Mode ? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polka | 32 | AABB | A Major |
Tom Billy's / Sonny Riordan's / Sonny Rearden's / Jim Reardon's / Dan O'Leary's / The Blue Ribbon Polka (3rd in set The Blue Ribbon on NNC 2)
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.
Click 
to hear the first 12 seconds.
to hear the first 12 seconds.| Year Recorded |
Track #Tune? |
[Album code] Artist. Title. Performers (instruments). |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 19#1 | [JOL 3] Johnny O'Leary. Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra. Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border. Johnny O'Leary (accordion). |
| ~1995 | 7#2 | [MotS 2] Monks of the Screw. Brathar na nÓl. Timmy O'Connor (accordion), Paudy Scully (flute), Tim Browne (fiddle, bouzouki, mandolin), John Drew (mandocello), Dan Curtin (fiddle, feet), Timmy O'Shea (guitar, vocals). |
| 1997 | 5#3 (2:32) | [PS 6] Patrick Street. Made in Cork. Kevin Burke (fiddle), Jackie Daly (accordion), Andy Irvine (mandolin, bouzouki, harmonica, vocals), Ged Foley (guitar, backing vocals). |
| ~2000 | 9#3 | [JLavelle] John Lavelle. @Home Alone. John Lavelle (accordion). |
| ~2010 | 11#3 | [NNC 2] Niamh Ní Charra. Súgach Sámh / Happy Out. Niamh Ní Charra (fiddle, concertina, vocals, viola). For this tune: (concertina, fiddle). |
Bibliography
According to my research, there are zero transcriptions that sound very similar to this tune anywhere in the indexed books, regardless of tune title. Try my recommended links to other indexes if you need a transcription. To learn to play this tune, simply learn it from another musician or study the recording(s) listed above. See also: Tips for Learning Irish Traditional Music.
Year of the oldest source for this tune, considering the recordings and transcriptions listed above (note that I concentrate on sources after 1900): 1995