Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID#983 (John Ryan's Polka)
| Rhythm ? | Bars | 8-bar phrase structure | Mode ? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polka | 32 | AABB | D Major |
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 Plx 4 (details in the Discography below).
Titles given to this tune in the sources listed below (plus notes of mine about this tune):
John Ryan's Polka / John Ryan's / Ryan's Polka / Kerry Polka No. 1 / Kerry Polka II (for 2nd figure of The West Kerry Set on JRSLCB 2; 2nd in set Kerry Polkas in book LPTW)
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.
| Year Recorded |
Track #Tune? |
[Album code] Artist. Title. Primary musicians (instruments). |
|---|---|---|
| ~1979 | 11#3 | [Plx 4] Planxty. Collection. Unidentified on this reissue. |
| ~1986 | 5#2 | [TC] various. Turas Cheoil. A Musical Odyssey: A compilation of music from the traditional musicians of Toronto. |
| ~1998 | 14#3 | [JRSLCB 2] Johnny Reidy and the Sliabh Luachra Ceili Band. Music for Set Dancing Vol. II. Johnny Reidy (accordion). |
| 2001 | 17#2 | [PHCB] Public House Ceili Band. Go Figure. Dan Cobb (banjo), Dave Delgado (whistle), Alan Ng (fiddle), Bob Newton (octave mandolin). |
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 #23#2 in volume 1 of [LPTW] Eithne Vallely. Learn to Play the Tin Whistle. |
| As tune #22 in [LPF] Eithne and Brian Vallely. Learn to Play the Fiddle with Armagh Pipers Club. |
| On page 150 of [FF] David Brody. The Fiddler's Fakebook. |
| As tune #44 in [IBPS] Pat Conway. Ireland's Best Polkas and Slides. |
| On page 237 of [M2] Phil Rubenzer. Midwestern Irish Session Tunes. Millennium Edition. |
| As polka #14 in [Cobb] Dan Cobb. Cobb's Music of Ireland. |
| As tune #62 in [DM 4] Dave Mallinson. 100 Vital Irish Session 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?
Year of the oldest source for this tune, considering the recordings and transcriptions listed above (note that I concentrate on sources after 1900): 1975