Annotation:Return of Spring (The)

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RETURN OF SPRING, THE. Irish, Polka or Barndance. According to collector and fiddler Philippe Varlet, the tune was recorded by south County Sligo fiddlers Paddy Killoran (1904-1965) along with Paddy Sweeney (1894-1974) in the 1930's as "The Decca Polka"--Decca being their recording company at the time. Paired with "Mountain Pathway (The)," the tune was recorded as "Return of Spring" by South Sligo fiddler James Morrison (1893-1947) in New York in early 1926, and the two are still often played together is a set today. Varlet associates the tune with the Sligo/Leitrim/Roscommon area and points out that they have a different, more legato, feel from the more commonly heard Kerry style polkas played with a 'punchier' rhythm.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Treoir, vol. 36, No. 2, 2004; p. 26.

Recorded sources: 3 SCONES 2008, Dermy Diamond, Tara Diamond, Dáithí Sproule - "Seanchairde/Old Friends" (2009). Columbia 33088-F (78 RPM), James Morrison (1926). Decca 12131 (78 RPM), Paddy Killoran & Paddy Sweeney (1937). Topic Records 12T390, "James Morrison & Tom Ennis" (1980). James Morrison - "Round the House and Mind the Dresser: Irish Country-House Dance Music" (2001). Desi Wilkinson - "World Network Ireland."

See also listing at:
Hear Killoran & Sweeney's 1926 recording at the Internet Archive [1] (Decca Polka)
Hear James Morrison's 1926 recording on youtube.com [2][3] and itma [4]




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