Tune Req: sliab na ban

Subject: sliab na ban
From:
Date: 21 Jun 97 - 01:57 AM

looking for this tune it's also know as the star of the county down and my love nell

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From:
Date: 22 Jun 97 - 12:24 AM

Dia duit,

I can supply the tune in GIF format (as Star of the County Down, or as an ABC tune if you need to hear it.

Drop me a line at the above email

Sla/n

Benjamin

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: cleod
Date: 23 Jun 97 - 06:42 AM

Isn't this the same as Slievenamon? I could be wrong...

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 23 Jun 97 - 07:00 AM

Sliabh na mban (mountain of the women or women's mountain) anglicised as Slievenamon.

Two quite different songs of the name, to different airs - neither of which sounds like "Star of the County Down " to me.

Regards

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Alison
Date: 23 Jun 97 - 08:08 AM

Hi

I know there are different tunes to Sliabh na mban. But the tune in the "Roche collection of traditional Irish music" is the same as "The star of the County Down."

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 23 Jun 97 - 11:49 AM

Alison,

Which set of words, please?

Regards

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Virginia Blankenhorn
Date: 23 Jun 97 - 10:05 PM

If it's any help, I've just posted a longish message on the "Slievenamon" thread that may be of interest to readers of this one. There are indeed two airs to two separate texts -- one in English and one in Irish -- but, like Martin, I don't find either of them at all similar to "The Star of the Co. Down." On the other hand, an Irish friend once remarked that all Irish tunes are basically reworkings of "The Star of the Co. Down" if you think about 'em hard enough.

For those of you who read the other thread...the Year of the French was 1798, not 1796. That's what I get for trusting an oral source (i.e. my husband) rather than looking it up.

Virginia

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Alison
Date: 24 Jun 97 - 09:32 AM

Hi

Martin,

The tune fits the set of words....

"Near to Banbridge town in the County Down one morning last July........etc"

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 24 Jun 97 - 09:41 AM

Alison

Aaaaaagh! I realise that - its how you fit "Alone, all alone...." to it that fascinates me!

Regards

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Alison
Date: 25 Jun 97 - 12:10 AM

Martin

Well I have to admit I did wonder why you were asking about the words to "The Star of the County Down." ( Where I was brought up, by the way........) I have no idea as to the other one I only have the tune by that name. Maybe the words fit better after several pints of Guiness.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 25 Jun 97 - 05:48 AM

The words of "Slievenamon" are in the thread of that name (and spelling!) See if you can make them fit.

Regards

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 28 Jun 97 - 06:41 PM

Alison

I've just found another song called "Slievenamon" which DOESseem to fit "The Star of the County Down"! Details later.

Regards

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Alison
Date: 28 Jun 97 - 09:03 PM

Hi

Martin

Good, because the other one was physically impossible although I did try!.

Still I'm glad to know that I wasn't sending people off in completely the wrong direction. I wasn't making it up .........honest................ you believe me don't you????.........................

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Alice Flynn
Date: 28 Jun 97 - 11:40 PM

The recording of the song that I know (doesn't sound like Star of the County Down) is on an old record from the 1950's. The record is "Songs of Ireland sung by Mary O'Hara", and the song is sung in Irish and spelled "Sliabh Na Mban". The label is Tradition Records, put out by Everest Records in L.A. The album notes on the back were written by Liam Clancy. Alice

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Barry Finn
Date: 30 Jun 97 - 02:09 AM

Are we singing 3 different songs by now? I'v got a translated version in 'Ireland Sings' by D.Behan, 1965, Sliab Na Mban (The White Mountains- his, not mine). The tune he has isn't "The Star Of The County Down" & it's not the "Slievenamon" that I'm familar with, which also doesn't fit with the "Star Of The County Down" either. So there are more than 3 tunes from which they all orginate, I was begining the task of seeing how many of the American songs would also fit into these 2 or 3, I can put it off now. Later. Barry

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 30 Jun 97 - 06:28 AM

AT LEAST three songs! I came across a song in "Songs of the Gael" Vol 4 (publ. 1922) under the title "Slievenamon", ascribed to J T Campion M.D. Tune is in tonic sol-fa (which I have not tried to decipher). Words would certainly fit "Star of the County Down".

First verse:

Two thousand men for Ireland upon the mountain top
With such a harvest, Freedom's arm might glean a glorious crop
A crop of seed to cast abroad through village town and home
And to the children of the land across the Atlantic's foam.

Six more verses of the same sort of thing.

Also: the books of that period all seem to refer to the "Alone all alone by the wave washed shore..." song as "The Maid of Slievenamon".

Late news!
Someone has just hummed the tune for me and its NOT the Star of the County Down! Its usually called "The Castle of Dromore". So the plot thickens!

Regards

p.s. Alison
Of course I believe you! You wouldn't pick a tune just because you came from there ... would you?

Subject: RE: sliab na ban
From: Alison
Date: 30 Jun 97 - 10:29 PM

Hi

Martin, what about the rest of those verses please.

Thanks for your efforts, and to show my gratitude I've sung you a song on the new "Folk circle" thread. Guess what it is????!!!

Now, do I know any other tunes for "The Castle of Dromore"..........

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: Tune Req: sliab na ban
From: GUEST,George
Date: 22 Feb 05 - 08:16 PM

Is this "chat" still working? All of the responses I see are from 1997 or so.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: sliab na ban
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 22 Feb 05 - 08:34 PM

That's because you've stumbled (perhaps via an external search engine) onto a very old thread. There are links to other discussions of the song, some more recent, at the top of the page. Everything is archived here, so it can all still be found even when long forgotten. Sometimes people run out of things to say on a particular subject.