| Rhythm | Bars | 8-bar phrase structure | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reel | 32 | AABB | G Major |

These two bars are the start of my transcription of how this tune was played – the first time through – on the recording MotS 2 (details in the Discography below).
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). |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 18#1 | [RF] Miko, Pakie and Gussie Russell. The Russell Family of Doolin, County Clare. Miko Russell (whistle, flute, vocals), Gussie Russell (whistle), Pakie Russell (concertina). |
| ~1986 | 7#2 | [SEgn 1] Seamus Egan. Traditional Music of Ireland. Seamus Egan (flute, banjo, mandolin, whistle, pipes, tres). |
| ~1995 | 9#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 | 12#2 | [Sol 2] Solas. Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers. Karan Casey (vocals), John Doyle (guitar, mandocello, vocals), Seamus Egan (flute, banjo, whistle, mandolin, guitar, bodhrán, percussion), Winifred Horan (fiddle), John Williams (accordion, concertina). |
| ~2000 | 3#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). |
| ~2006 | 1#3 | [Tda 3] Téada. Inné Amárach. Seán McElwain (guitar, bouzouki, banjo), Damien Stenson (flute), Tristan Rosenstock (bodhrán), Oisín Mac Diarmada (fiddle, piano), Paul Finn (accordion). |
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 #804 in [1001] Francis O'Neill and James O'Neill. The Dance Music of Ireland. 1001 Gems. |
| As reel #539 in [HN] Henrik Norbeck. Henrik Norbeck's Abc Tunes. |
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?