Traditional Irish polka, D
Also know as: Peg Ryan’s; The Ballyfin Polka No. 1
This tune is named for the Irish village of Murroe, which is located in the north-eastern part of County Limerick, close to Limerick City and to the County Tipperary border. Ballyfin, another of the tune’s namesakes, is an Irish village 106 kilometers from Murroe. The tune is also known as Peg Ryan’s Polka, a name it shares with an entirely different tune.
Recordings
- Video – Caroline Keane: The Murroe Polka / The Taur Polka / Mick Duggan’s Polka from the album Shine, by Caroline Keane (traditional music on concertina).
- Audio – Comhaltas: Murroe Polka from the album Foinn Seisiún Volume 1, published by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.
Dots (Music Notation)
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.
Play from the Dots
Sets
Examples of sets that include this tune.
- Little Diamond Polka / Murroe Polka / Maids of Ardagh
Jump to the Little Diamond Polka Set - The Murroe Polka / The Taur Polka / Mick Duggan’s Polka
References and Resources
For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.
- Book – Foinn Seisiún, Volume 1 — Published by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.
- Video – Ian Learns Trad Tunes: Little Diamond Polka/Murroe Polka/Maids of Ardath – played on tenor banjo and mandolin.
- Web page – Wikipedia: Murroe — a very brief article about the Irish village of Murroe.
- Web page – Wikipedia: Ballyfin — a brief article about the Irish village of Ballyfin.
- Web page – The Session: The Murroe polka – Crowdsourced music notation and information.