Star Of The County Down

reel

Key signature: Eminor

Submitted on March 17th 2005 by Nutty Nessie.

This tune has been added to 394 tunebooks.

Also known as Diversus And Lazarus, Diverus And Lazarus, Dives And Lazarus, Star Of County Down, The Star Of County Down, The Star Of The County Down March, The Star Of The County Down, When First I Left Old Ireland.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

A Drop Of Pure by Quilty
A Language I Understand by Annwn
An Nora Bheag by Sean Hernon
Appalachia Waltz by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor
Bach To Ireland by Vivian Minden And Julia Shaw
Calliope House by Modesty Forbids
Celtic Breeze by Celtic Breeze
Celtic Harp II: From A Distant Time by Patrick Ball
Dancing Fingers by Jennifer And Hazel Wrigley
Drink The Night Away by Blackbeers
Epiphany by Silver Spire
Full Contact by The Glengarry Bhoys
Irish Heart, Jewish Soul by Carl Nelkin
Irish Heartbeat by Van Morrison
Keltish by Keltish
Kilkenny Road by Kilkenny Road
Kitchen Junket by Yankee Ingenuity
La Harpe Irlandaise - The Irish Harp by Katrien Delavier
Looking For A Rock by Juniper
Musique Celtique by Rosheen
Myth And Memory by The Reelies
Northern Lights by Steve Coulter And Harris Moore
Opening Move - Take Two by Queen's Gambit
Paddy On The Railway by Ten Penny Bit
Revenge Is Sweet by Molly's Revenge
Seisiún Na H-Éireann 2006 Festival CD by Various Artists
Seven Years After by Sirkus
Suburban Ethnia by Chanter
The Ragged Rogues by The Ragged Rogues
The Road Out Of Town by The Itinerant Band
The Uneven Bridge by Glen Ayre
They Called Her Babylon by Steeleye Span
Wet Your Whistle by Wet Your Whistle
Wind In The Willows by Willows Folk

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

As a song

I know this as a song - try listening to the version by the Doonan Family on the album Fenwick's Window.

# Posted on March 17th 2005 by Nutty Nessie

Alternative title?

I'd imagine that it was originally a tune with another name. It's quite possibly already on the site. Any thoughts anyone?

# Posted on March 17th 2005 by This member is resting

Man songs to that tune

This is the plain tune of the song and has little to do with a reel. The melody is used for quite a few songs. Amongst them:
Crooked Jack, Dives an Lazarus ...
The list ist longer but I would have to do a longer search.

# Posted on March 17th 2005 by Ranks

It bears some similarities with The Peacock's Feather, http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/663, a version of which is used for the song The Parting Glass.

# Posted on March 19th 2005 by OrganicPeatCreature

Amin?

I know a different version of this tune in A minor. It's quite a lovely one, & one of my favourites.

# Posted on April 10th 2005 by fltress

I first learned this in A minor and in 3/4 time.

# Posted on April 10th 2005 by Bob himself

An A minor version

Somebody asked for the Amin 3/4 version, so here it is:

X: 1
T: Star Of The County Down
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Amin
E2G2|:A4AB|A3GA2|c4c2|d3cd2|e2d2c2|A2G2E2|G6-|G2c2B2|
|A4AB|A3GA2|c4c2|d3cd2|e2d2c2|A4G2|A6-|1 A2E2G2:|2 A4e2||
|:g4e2|e3dc2|d6|d4cd|e3dc2|A2G2E2|G6-|G2c2B2|
|A4AB|A3GA2|c4c2|d3cd2|e2d2c2|A4G2|A6-|1 A4e2:|2 A6||

# Posted on August 14th 2006 by Bob himself

Another Amin Version

I went ahead & submitted an Amin 3/4 version, similar but not exactly the same as Bob himself's posted version.

What a haunting tune this is!

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/6155

# Posted on September 3rd 2006 by fltress

Nevermind

I guess I should have posted it here instead of submitting a new tune, but I thought some would have appreciated having the dots instead of just ABC. ...& I didn't save the ABC version that I wrote out exccept to my tunebook here (painstakingly I might add, while looking at a guide to writting ABC notation), but the submission is gone now since the tune was already submitted here.

Sorry guys. If you want the dots, just send me a message & I'll scan it & can email it to you instead.

Do any of you play this tune in 4/4? What's the most popular key that it seems to be played/recorded in? I'm curious.

# Posted on September 3rd 2006 by fltress

Is it danceable as a Polka or Scottische?

Near Banbridge town, in the County Down
One morning in July
Down a boreen green came a sweet colleen
And she smiled as she passed me by.
She looked so sweet from her two white feet
To the sheen of her nut-brown hair
Such a coaxing elf, I'd to shake myself
To make sure I was standing there.
From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay
And from Galway to Dublin town
No maid I've seen like the sweet colleen
That I met in the County Down.

As she onward sped I shook my head
And I gazed with a feeling rare
And I said, says I, to a passerby
"who's the maid with the nut-brown hair?"
He smiled at me, and with pride says he,
"That's the gem of Ireland's crown.
She's young Rosie McCann
from the banks of the Bann
She's the star of the County Down."
From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay
And from Galway to Dublin town
No maid I've seen like the sweet colleen
That I met in the County Down.

I've travelled a bit, but never was hit
Since my roving career began
But fair and square I surrendered there
To the charms of young Rose McCann.
I'd a heart to let and no tenant yet
Did I meet with in shawl or gown
But in she went and I asked no rent
From the star of the County Down.
From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay
And from Galway to Dublin town
No maid I've seen like the sweet colleen
That I met in the County Down.

At the crossroads fair I'll be surely there
And I'll dress in my Sunday clothes
And I'll try sheep's eyes, and deludhering lies
On the heart of the nut-brown rose.
No pipe I'll smoke, no horse I'll yoke
Though with rust my plow turns brown
Till a smiling bride by my own fireside
Sits the star of the County Down.
From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay
And from Galway to Dublin town
No maid I've seen like the sweet colleen
That I met in the County Down.

# Posted on September 30th 2006 by birlibirdie

Possible Chords - A minor

Am F C G Am F Em Em
Am F C G Am F Am Am
C C G G Am F Em Em
Am F C G Am F Am Am

# Posted on November 9th 2006 by bluemandolin

Can this tune be played on a D min whistle???

# Posted on February 28th 2007 by eddienolan

D whistle

I think "ed eee" instead of "bd eee" also sounds okay when you want to play it on a D whistle. At least I usually do it this way on my whistle. ;)

# Posted on March 15th 2007 by Myalin

AABBBB or AAAABB for verse/chorus

I'm having an argument about the A and B parts of the tune. I recollect that the first part of the verse is AA, the second part is BB and the chorus is BB (i.e., AAAA and BB) My protagonist says the never heard of a tune where the chorus repeats the verse but rather the chorus has a different form to the verse. On this logic he goes for AAAA and BB. Who is right. I'm not at all struck on the AAAA and BB version.

# Posted on March 26th 2007 by Attfield

Sung as a reel then played as a jig

Anyone know the origins of the custom of introducing and singin and playing this tune as a reel, but then at the end of the song breaking into a jig (6:8) version as an instrumental?
DIDGE

# Posted on May 15th 2007 by DidgeLewis

Jig, D whistle

Jig version here:
http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/tab/tab3/star.html
Brother Steve's solutions to the low B for D whistle here:
http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/tonguing.html

# Posted on June 18th 2007 by david_h

As Dives and Lazarus

Anyone ever play this as an air? Being a bassoonist as well, I've played Vaughn Williams's "Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus" and the melody sounds great slower, and I think it could be really heart-wrenching given the right inflection.

# Posted on January 16th 2008 by samiam590

More lyrics:

from Bantry bay until Dary's quay
and from Gallway to Dublin town,
no maid i've seen
like the brown Coleen
that i met in the conty down.

thats all i or my father can remember, ill ask my grandmother.

# Posted on April 11th 2009 by crm

"The Star Of The County Down" ~ 3/4

Key signature: a minor
Submitted on July 15th 2009 by ceolachan.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/9747

# Posted on July 15th 2009 by ceolachan