Ballyoran

polka

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on March 2nd 2004 by hetty.

This tune has been added to 15 tunebooks.

Also known as An Gallope, Gallope, Gallope, An, The Gallope.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• Dance Music Of Ireland: Volume 10 by Matt Cunningham
• Hills Of Clare by Joe Fitzgerald
• Morning Star - Réalt Na Maidine by Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
• Seana Choirce by Brendan Begley
• Speed 78 by Mike Rafferty
• Take The Bull By The Horns by Tom Doherty
• Temple House 2 by Temple House Ceili Band
• The Flags Of Dublin by Paddy Glackin, Mick O'Brien And Mick Gavin
• The Silver Spire by Karen Tweed

X: 1
T: Ballyoran
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Gmaj
|:B/A/ | GD/G/ BG/B/ | dB/d/ gB | dc cA | ed B/c/B/A/ |
GD/G/ BG/B/ | dB/d/ gB | dc cF | AG G :|
|:B | dc cA | ed BG/B/ | dc cA | ed B/c/B/A/ |
GD/G/ BG/B/ | dB/d/ gB | dc cF | AG G :|
|:B/C/ | dg gf/e/ | dB BA/B/ | ce ed/c/ | BG G/A/B/c/ |
dg gf/e/ | dB BA/B/ | ce ed | G2 G :|
|:B/A/ | GD/G/ Bd | cA A/B/A/G/ | FD/F/ Ac | BG G/c/B/A/ |
GD/G/ Bd | cA AG | Fe ed | G2 G :|

I was given this tune 30 years ago by a friend. It is a favourite with my wife and gets played regularly both for dances and for listening to. I also have it called "the Russian Cavelry March" and "Twelve Reel" although it is possible that the latter two names could relate to dances that the tune has possibly become associated with.

# Posted on March 2nd 2004 by hetty

Intro bar in the 'C' music should read Bc

# Posted on March 7th 2004 by hetty

'C and 'D' musics here are the same as 'Many a Wild Night' submitted by Gian Marco on March 17th. 2004.
Research has led me to a tune by the name of 'Ballyoran Hornpipe'. it was recorded in 1979 on an album entitled 'The Gentlemen Pipers' (Classic recordings of Irish Traditional Piping).
This is a 48 bar tune and I would love to compare the notation with the Ballyoran Polka. Can anyone help?

# Posted on March 20th 2004 by hetty

- another key and transcription - single 'D' row on a melodeon:

|:D2 FD/F/|AF/A/ d>F|AG GE|BA F/G/F/E/|
D2 FD/F/|AF/A/ d>F|AG GE|1 ED D>A:|
2 ED D>F||
|:AG E/E/E/E/|BA FD/F/|AG E/E/E/E/|BA F/G/F/E/|
D2 FD/F/|AF/A/ d>F|AG GE|1 ED D>F:|
2 ED D2||

# Posted on October 1st 2004 by ceolachan

While there are a few yahoos who don't like to repeat melodies, preferring to run through one right after the other, that's not general practice. Some even glue bits together and then repeat them in that fashion, as a longer tune. I know the two above mentioned polkas, this one, 'The Ballyoran', and the one notated by Gian Marco, 'Many A Wild Night':

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2669/

as the usual two parters, 32 bar polka, not as suggested - ABCD=64 bars. There are also older recordings of them played this way. Both were learned as a set down south, Sliabh Luachra, first dancing to them and then playing them. I suspect glueing them together was just another of those 'arrangements'...something to be wary of.

# Posted on October 1st 2004 by ceolachan

I've actually come across a similar madness, a particular ceili band, where four polkas were slammed together to make what some might mistake as a 128 bar tune - AABBCCDDEEFFGGHH...

# Posted on October 1st 2004 by ceolachan

One Polka!

Aye - the Ballyoran I know goes like this:

X: 1
T: Ballyoran
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Amaj
AE/A/ cA/c/|ec/e/ ac|ed dB|fe c/d/c/B/|
AE/A/ cA/c/|ec/e/ ac|ed dG|1 BA Ac/B/:|2 BA Ac||
ed dB|fe cA/c/|ed dB|fe c/d/c/B/|
AE/A/ cA/c/|ec/e/ ac|ed dG|1 BA Ac:|2 BA A2||

# Posted on November 20th 2005 by Ptarmigan