Annotation:Church Street Polka (1)

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X:1 T:St. Mary's Polka T:Church Street [1] T:Gurkin Cross R:polka D:Ben Lennon, The Natural Bridge Z:Jeff Myers M:2/4 L:1/8 K:G D/|GB AB/A/|Gg e/f/g/e/|dB AG/A/|B-B/A/ G/F/E/D/| GB AB/A/|Gg e/f/g/e/|dBAG/A/|BG G-G/:| A/|Bd g-g/A/|Bd g-g/A/|Bd ge|f-f/g/ fg| ag e/f/g/e/|dB AG/A/|Be d/B/A/B/|G2{B}G-G/:||



CHURCH STREET (POLKA) [1]. AKA and see "Ballymote," "Flanagan's Polka," "Gurteen Cross," "Kittie Mannix's Polka," "St. Mary's," "Sweeney's." Irish, Polka (2/4 time). Ireland, west Kerry. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The correct title of this tune is "St. Mary's Polka" but it became associated with "Church Street Polka" after the two tunes were paired on the Chieftains first record[1]. The tune was first recorded by fiddler Paddy Killoran's Irish Orchestra in New York in 1937. See also the cognate first strain of "Oyster River Reel (The)."
Paddy Killoran (1904-1965), originally from Ballymote, County Sligo.


Additional notes



Printed sources : - Carlin (Master Collection), 1984; p. 156; No. 277. Mac Amhlaoibh & Durham (An Pota Stóir: Ceol Seite Corca Duibne/The Set Dance Music of West Kerry), No. 21, p. 20 (appears as "Gan Ainm" {untitled}).

Recorded sources : - Front Hall FHR-010, Bill Spence & Fennig's All Stars – "The Hammered Dulcimer Strikes Again" (1977). Old Hat Music OH!02, "The Old Hat Dance Band" (1992). Wild Goose WGS 320, Old Swan Band – "Swan-Upmanship" (2004).

See also listing at :
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]



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  1. Both titles are associated with St. Mary's Church on Church Street, Dublin. Later, starting in 1952, the St. Mary's Traditional Music Club, popularly known as "The Church Street Club," held forth every Wednesday night, frequented by Dublin's finest musicians.