Polka, D Mixolydian, Traditional Irish
Also known as: Ballydesmond Polka; Ballydesmond No. 1; Donncha Lynch’s
“Ballydesmond Polka” and “Donncha Lynch’s” are two of the names for this traditional Irish polka. It is one of the “Ballydesmond Polkas,” a collection of tunes often played as a set. Which of the tunes is in the set, what order they are played in, and what name each tune goes by varies widely. Whatever the construction of the set, these tunes are cheerful and fun to play. Ballydesmond is a rural village in County Cork, in Ireland’s Sliabh Luachra region.
Why call it Ballydesmond Polka “No. 0”? That is not a name normally given to this tune, but there are three other tunes called Ballydesmond 1, Ballydesmond 2, and Ballydesmond 3. Since this tune is typically placed first in a Ballydesmond Polka set, it seems appropriate to give it the designation of “0”.
Recordings
- Video – Kevin Burke – Ballydesmond Polkas – from the album Sligo Made. (This tune is the first tune in the track.)
- Video – Julia Clifford & Denis Murphy: The Ballydesmond Polkas – from the album The Star above the Garter. (This tune is the first tune in the track. Note: in this recording the instrument pitch is a half-step lower than standard tuning.)
- Video – Ray Gallen: Donncha Lynch’s / Úna Brady’s – played on concertina and bodhran, from the album Man of the House.
Sheet Music
As always for traditional tunes, the musical notation and chords do not indicate the “right” way to play the tune, but are a useful reference. The version of the tune here comes primarily the playing of Kevin Burke.
Play-along Tracks
Sets
Examples of sets that include this tune.
- Ballydesmond Polka Set: Ballydesmond Polka 0 (D Mixolydian) / Ballydesmond Polka 2 (A Dorian) / Ballydesmond Polka 1 (A Dorian)
- Ballydesmond Polka 0 / Ballydesmond Polka 2 / Ballydesmond Polka 1 / Ballydesmond Polka 3
References and Resources
For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.
- More Recordings
- Video – Mossie Martin – The Ballydesmond Polkas – played slowly on solo fiddle. (This tune is the first tune in the track.)
- Books
- Lessons
- Lesson – Kevin Burke (Fiddlevideo): The Ballydesmond Polka No. 1 – Trad Irish Fiddle Lesson. (Partial lesson; full lesson requires a subscription to Fiddlevideo.)
- Additional Resources
- Article – Jonathan Lay (TrailJams): Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell
- Webpage – The Session: The Ballydesmond – crowdsourced sheet music, notes, and other information
- Webpage – irishtune.info: Ballydesmond Polka – archival information about the tune, curated by Alan Ng