The Croppies' March

polka

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on July 25th 2005 by ceolachan.

This tune has been added to 24 tunebooks.

Also known as Baile Bheachain, The Banks Of Enverness, The Banks Of Inverness, The Banks Of The Inverness, The Ceanngulla, Croppies' March, Croppy's Retreat, The Croppy's Retreat, Freedom For Ireland, Heather On The Hill, The Heather On The Hill, Ireland Forever, Kerryman's Daughter, The Kerryman's Daughter, Lark's Neck, The Lark's Neck, Lark's Nest, The Lark's Nest.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• 1891-1945 Disc 1 by Michael Coleman
• Aly Bain And Friends by Aly Bain
• Ar An Bhfidil by Oisin MacDiarmada
• Beal A' Mhurlaigh by P.J. And Marcus Hernon
• Buried Treasure Of The Toucan Pirates by Toucan Pirates
• Dance Music Of Ireland: Volume 8 by Matt Cunningham
• Dance Music Of Ireland: Volume 9 by Matt Cunningham
• Eileen Ivers by Eileen Ivers
• Ireland's Best Session Tunes CD 2 by Waltons Recording
• Live At Carnegie Hall by Boys Of The Lough
• P.J. Hernon by P.J. And Marcus Hernon
• Party Acadien by Eddy Arsenault Et Famille, Anastasia DesRoches, Louise Arsenault
• Sets In The City by Tipsy House
• The Croppy's Complaint: Music And Songs Of 1798 by Lynn Saoirse
• The Fiddle Music Of Prince Edward Island by Lynn Saoirse
• The Funny Reel by Joe Burke, Andy McGann And Felix Dolan
• The Living Tradition Vol II by All Ireland Champions Tara And Garrai Eion Ceili Bands
• The Missing Reel by Seamus McGuire And John Lee
• The Piper Calls The Tune by Joe Finn
• Time For A Tune With Charlie Lennon by Charlie Lennon
• Track Across The Deep by London Lasses And Pete Quinn

X: 1
T: Croppies' March, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
|: B |\
A>B AF | AB d>e | fa ef | dB Bd |
A>B AF | AB d>e | fa ef | d2- d :|
| e |\
fa a>f | gb bg | fa ef | dB Bd |
fa af | gb b>c' | d'c'- c'a | b2- b>c' |
d'b c'a | b>a fe | fa ef | dB Bd |
A>B AF | AB d>e | fa ef | d2- d ||
K:Gmaj
|: E |\
D>E DB, | DE GA | Bd AB/A/ | GE EG/E/ |
D>E DB, | DE GA | Bd AB/A/ | G2 G :|
| A |\
Bd dB | ce ec | Bd AB/A/ | GE ED |
B/c/d dB | c/d/e e>f | g/f/e fd | e2 ef |
ge fd | e/f/e/d/ BA | Bd/B/ AB/A/ | GE EG |
D>E DB, | DE GA | Bd AB/A/ | G2 G |]

"The Croppies' March" ~ polka & march

This one is played both ways, and I've given it here in 3 keys with some variations ~ K: D, G, and including as I had originally heard it, in C...

# Posted on July 25th 2005 by ceolachan

"The Kerryman's Daughter" ~ as a reel

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/345

# Posted on July 25th 2005 by ceolachan

"Salmon Tails Up / Down the Water"

~ another related tune:

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2903

# Posted on July 25th 2005 by ceolachan

"Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody", 1922 ~ Captain Francis O'Neill

#s 60 & 61 (2/4 & 4/4)

"The term "Croppy" grew from the custome of the English and Scotch reformers in 1795, who cut their hair short. The same custom was adopted by the reformers in Ireland; and hence all those who wore their hair short were denominated "Croppies", and were the marked objects of government vengeance. In truth, clipped hair constituted secondary evidence of treason, and was sufficient to cause the arrest and ill treatment of any person daring enough to adopt it."

# Posted on July 25th 2005 by ceolachan

"Requiem for the Croppies" by Seamus Heaney

The pockets of our greatcoats full of barley . . .
No kitchens on the run, no striking camp . . .
We moved quick and sudden in our own country.
The priest lay behind ditches with the tramp.
A people hardly marching . . . on the hike . . .
We found new tactics happening each day:
We'd cut through reins and rider with the pike
And stampede cattle into infantry,
Then retreat through hedges where cavalry must be thrown.
Until . . . on Vinegar Hill . . . the final conclave.
Terraced thousands died, shaking scythes at cannon.
The hillside blushed, soaked in our broken wave.
They buried us without shroud or coffin
And in August . . . the barley grew up out of our grave.

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Poetry/SeamsHeaney.html

# Posted on July 25th 2005 by ceolachan

'Croppies' ~ used to describe Irish reboes in the 1798 insurrection, see above, hair cropped in imitation of the French revolutionaries of 1789...

'Vinegar Hill' ~ County Wexford, June 21, 1798, a major defeat for the Irish rebels...

# Posted on July 25th 2005 by ceolachan

1798 Croppies' Grave at Graigue

http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlcar2/croppies_graves.htm

http://www.pcug.org.au/~pdownes/sharp/graigue_croppies.htm

# Posted on July 25th 2005 by ceolachan

"The Ceanngulla Polka" ~ Johnny O'Leary

Pages 95 - 96, tune #166:

"Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra:
Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border"
Compiled & edited by Terry Moylan
The Lilliput Press, Dublin, 1994
ISBN: 1-874675-42-2

# Posted on July 25th 2005 by ceolachan

"The Seige of Ennis"

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/1640

another polka relative...

# Posted on July 25th 2005 by ceolachan

"The Croppies' March" ~ Scottish origin?

I would like to be able to say I was sure ‘The Croppies March’ was ‘Scottish’ but can’t, but that is my suspicion. I’ve none of my usual sources on hand and the libraries of Edinburgh will have to wait for now, too many other concerns at the moment. Hello ‘Kenny’?, ‘Conan’? anybody out there? Can anyone else trace it back to a source?

I also realize that my familiarity and history with “Salmon Tails” might have influenced final decisions on my notation here of “The Croppies March”. I’ve played both in a number of ways. I don’t have my copy of “Waifs & Strays” with me but I have a couple of ABCs supposedly taken from that O’Neill collection. The two from "Waifs" (a great collection) are the same thing, just divided differently (see first bar examples below). They have the same difference from how I give it for the B-part. I prefer the longer second ending, whatever its source, liking long penultimate-like second endings as a general rule, great for dance. I don’t have my recordings of the piper Patsy Touhey to check either, but here is a composite from the two "Waifs" transcriptions:

Source: Francis O'Neill: "Waifs and Strays" no. 60 & 61
#60 ~ 4/4 ~ | A3 B A2 F2 |
#61 ~ 4/4 ~ | A>BAF ABde |

L:1/8
R:March
K:D
|: dB |
A>B AF AB de | fa ef d/e/f/d/ Bd | A>B AF AB de | fa ef d2 :|
| de |
fa ag/f/ gb ba/g/ | fa ef d/e/f/d/ BA | fa ag/f/ gb bc' | d'c' ba b2 ba |
fa ag/f/ gb ba/g/ | fa ef d/e/f/d/ Bd | A>B AF AB de | fa ef d2 d2 ||

# Posted on July 27th 2005 by ceolachan

One early version of this tune was known in Scotland as "The Banks of Inverness". It can also be found in Ryan's Mammoth Collection as "The Banks of Enverness".

# Posted on December 19th 2005 by nigelg

I known it like this:

X: 2
T: G.A.2
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
|: A>B AF | AB de | fa ef/e/ | dB gB |
A>B AF | AB de | fa ef/e/ | d2 d2 :|
|: fa ag/f/ | gb ba | fa ef/e/ | dB gB |
A>B AF | AB de | fa ef/e/ | d2 d2 :|

# Posted on May 2nd 2009 by protz

|: B |\

I have been trying to do a minor cleanup of the ABCs but as yet it is not letting me do so... I'll be back...

protz ~ as shown previously, and in most situations I've found this popular tune, the return to the last 4 measures of the A-part in the B-part is only as a second ending, using your notation:

X: 5
T: G.A.2
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
|: A>B AF | AB de | fa ef/e/ | dB gB |
A>B AF | AB de | fa ef/e/ | d2 d2 :|
|: fa ag/f/ | gb ba | fa ef/e/ | dB gB |
[1 fa ag/f/ | gb ba fa ef/e/ | d2 d2 :|
[2 A>B AF | AB de | fa ef/e/ | d2 d2 |]

# Posted on July 3rd 2009 by ceolachan

Relatives ~

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1640
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/2903
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/4774

& "The Irish R. M." ~ a 4-part take on it:
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/5119

This latter one I've heard from a number of different ceili bands. I wonder which came first, 2 parts, 3 or 4? My thanks to Alistair / No Cause for Alarm for reminding me of this larger take on it and for offering up another version in the 'comments' for that 4-parter.... 'c'

# Posted on July 14th 2009 by ceolachan