Annotation:Dolly Varden (1)
DOLLY VARDEN [1] (An Dolly Varden). Irish, Polka (2/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Source Murphy said the polka was not of the usual kind played for dancing in Sliabh Luachra, but rather it had its own associated dance-"Dance around like 'The Stack of Barley'." A 'dolly varden' was a kind of woman's outfit in the 19th century, consisting of a wide-skirted, tight-bodiced print dress, worn with a triangular scarf and a flowered hat with a wide, drooping brim. The name comes from a character in the novel Barnaby Rudge (1841) by Charles Dickens, wherein Dolly Varden is the locksmith's coquettish daughter who was wont to wear a dress of flowered dimity. Jackie Small, editor of CRÉ V, says: "The public were very fond of this character, and songs and dances were composed in her honour. This tune is known as 'William Clarke' in County Limerick."
