seige of ennis

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 06:10 PM

We have a set in our ceilidh band repertoire for it; all 2/4 polkas.
Rattlin' Bog/ Spanish Ladies/ Kerry Polka /Dennis Murphy's Polka/ Bill Sullivan's Polka/ Egan's Polka then back to Rattlin' Bog. Can't remember if we've ever been asked to play it, but it doubles up nicely as a "Irish Gay Gordons" set (our band being a Scottish ceilidh band!)
But happy to go with what Jerry O'Reilly says, knowing him to be a great dancer and dance tutor: if he is still looking in 13 years on, it would be nice to know what other jigs they dance it to?
Oh, and there's that 7-step thing in "The Walls of Limerick" - 1-and 2-and 1-2-3.....

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: Daniel Kelly
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 06:59 AM

Just discovered something interesting, a group posted a tune under the name of Tulla Polka (here ) which is the same tune that appears in the widely distributed Australian tune book 'Begged Borrowed and Stolen' as the Siege of Ennis. A bit of YouTube searching indicated that what the rest of the world knows as 'Siege of Ennis' is a different tune entirely (and is played second in the linked video).

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: MartinRyan
Date: 05 Oct 12 - 09:50 AM

Venice? Salmon? I reckon you're a lying lion spinning a line.

;>)>

Regards

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: GUEST,Finnbar
Date: 05 Oct 12 - 09:41 AM

Ennis was never under siege, Venice was.
Venice looks like a salmon and it is an Inis,
So, in fact, this tune is based on an olde Italian
song that is still sung today by the Gondaliers.
The Irish have no claim to it. I read this in the
archives at The Venetian museum.

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: GUEST,DannyC
Date: 19 Feb 07 - 02:28 PM

I played it and danced it for years to reels.   I once went up (20 years ago) from Baltimore to a ceili in my hometown Philly where we/they - to my surprise - played polkas for the dance.

While the new generation of incoming Irish do not seem to be much into social/trad dancing, the 1950s crowd seemed to organize themselves around regular ceilis and I would venture to say that most could find their way thru either this dance and/or "The Walls Of Limerick" and/or "The Haymaker's Jig".   Throw in a few old-time waltzes and a two-step and you'd have made it a good night.

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: Bernard
Date: 19 Feb 07 - 12:28 PM

Hah! I've already had that privilege, Dick!

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: The Sandman
Date: 19 Feb 07 - 12:21 PM

Noreen,if we ever meet we,ll have to dance it.

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: Bernard
Date: 19 Feb 07 - 12:18 PM

I've heard 'Siege of Ennis' referred to as 'Bridge of Ennis' on occasions. Anyone know if this is because of a quirk of Gaelic - and which one is 'correct'?


Little Crabb should be banished to its room to learn more tunes, N!

;o)

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: s&r
Date: 19 Feb 07 - 04:38 AM

We were given 'Rattlin'bog' in Kilkenny as the tune for Siege of Ennis - it was so titled. When we first went to Ennis we asked at the tourist information office for history about the siege, and were told there never had been one. We took part in an attempt for the longest Siege Sets at a Fleadh once - right down the main street, but by the time the band started everyone had got fed up waiting and wandered off

Stu

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: Noreen
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 06:21 PM

Ooops... Hello, Bernard! :0)
Crabb still going strong- it still doesn't know enough tunes yet though :0(

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: Noreen
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 06:17 PM

Captain Birdseye, I have indeed danced it many times in England and Ireland to reels, polkas and jigs, and am equally happy to dance it to any, sorry!

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion.

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: CharleyO'Neill
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 05:56 PM

That tune is not strictly speaking ,salmon tails. It is actually a similar tune, from which salmon tails is perhaps a variant? The tune in question is an irish polka - I forget the title, but it's in Mally's book of polkas and is played by the Pogues at the end of their version of 'South Australia'

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 03:09 PM

Or Salmon Tails is the Seige Of Ennis...one of those origin arguments you could work on all day. The melodies differ a bit.
I was about to pull down the Roche collection last night before posting but it was bedtime. I wonder if Sean Reid, pianist/piper/fiddler for the Tulla and the "driving force in Clare music" because he was the only member with a car in the 40's, didn't pull that out of the Roche books.

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: The Sandman
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 04:55 AM

well I prefer 2/4 or 4/4 time,and I would urge both Noreen and jerry o,reilly to try dancing it in 2/4,I dont think they will ever want to do it again in 6/8.I have tried both.

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 04:44 AM

Seige Of Ennis is basically the English dance tune ' Salmon Tails Up The Water ' with an extra part [ or two ] added.

eric

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: dermod in salisbury
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 04:25 AM

I read somewhere that Seige of Ennis is a comparativly new dance introduced during the gaelic cultural revivals early in the last century. It may be the tune of that name and dance arose separately. The Seige of Ennis appears in two-four (polka?)time in the Roche collection, published in 1912 and it is a great tune to dance to. Last time I heard it at dance, where the violinist was none other than Matt Cranitch, I am pretty sure in was in that neter. But I can't be certain, because it was a step I didn't know, and was going to sit out until whisked on to the floor by a stunningly beautiful young viking-looking lady from Limerick who I never saw before and never since. Maybe I dreamed it all anyway!

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: GUEST,Kevin Rietmann
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 03:35 AM

The Tulla Celidh Band played two polkas for this - can't remember what book it's in! But I've seen it somewhere. A Google Image search gave this: http://www.slowplayers.org/Music/gif/Siege_of_ennis.gif . Key of A, I play it in G myself. The first polka is the melody of Mo Ghile Mhar/Paddy Doyle/Doran's Ass. Look for these titles here to have some words to sing! Whack fol de dora-lay.
Bit of a discussion of the tune here: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1640

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: Bernard
Date: 17 Feb 07 - 01:25 PM

Ooops... Hello, Noreen!

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: Bernard
Date: 17 Feb 07 - 01:25 PM

Most people have two legs...

See you at the Open Door on April 1st, Dick!!

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: GUEST,Noreen
Date: 17 Feb 07 - 12:21 PM

...seeing dancers trying to dance the seven steps to jigs,is painful to watch.,it just doesn,t work
It does work, it's just a more 'hoppy' rhythm when you dance 7steps to a jig.

We often used to play jigs for a siege of Ennis, for a change from playing reels- but the dance can just as easily be done to either.

Anyway, there are other 'jig' dances which have the 7steps in them; the Harvest-time jig springs to mind.

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: CharleyO'Neill
Date: 17 Feb 07 - 07:40 AM

'Can you play the Siege of Ennis ?' - a familiar request at many an English ceilidh or Irish function that I have been involved with. In my experience such Irish ex pats who request this dance don't have that much of a clue how to dance said dance and feel that by shere virtue of their Irish heritage they are experts at the siege. Consequently, the dance regularly goes pear shaped regardless of appropriateness of polka, jig, reel or tango provided !

A similar effect is regularly achieved when Scots ask for the Eightsome Reel.

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: Rowan
Date: 16 Feb 07 - 09:09 PM

The rose tree works well too
Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 16 Feb 07 - 05:38 PM

We use "Victory" and "The Rakes of Mallow"

Don

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: The Sandman
Date: 16 Feb 07 - 05:15 PM

From the point of view of dancing the seven steps,it dances much better in my opinion to 4/4 or 2/4 then jigs,I have been involved in playing for dancing for 35 years,and have seen all sort of corruptions of the Seige of Ennis,But seeing dancers trying to dance the seven steps to jigs,is painful to watch.,it just doesn,t work.

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: clueless don
Date: 16 Feb 07 - 02:25 PM

The official handbook, A/r Rinci/ Fo/irne (the slash "/" after a letter represents a "fada" diacritical mark over the letter), of The Irish Dance Commission (An Coimisiu/n le Rinci/ Gaelacha) specifies that it should be danced to jigs (specifically, double jigs.) But I have heard recordings of dance music where they play single reels (tunes like "The Rakes of Mallow" and "Ger the Rigger", which sound somewhat similar to polkas - The Rattlin' Bog would fit right in with this tune type), and at ceilis (at this point, someone will undoubtedly tell me that the plural of ceili is something like "ceilidh", or some such) in the Baltimore MD/Washington DC area (USA), it is always danced to reels.

Don

Subject: RE: seige of ennis
From: GUEST,Jerry O'Reilly
Date: 16 Feb 07 - 01:57 PM

From having danced and taught dancing for over 20 years, this dance is usually danced to double jigs in 6/8 time. Its usual to play about three jigs, three times through or else a "long" jig like The Gold Ring played three times through.

Subject: seige of ennis
From: The Sandman
Date: 16 Feb 07 - 01:20 PM

I have played for this dance on a number of occasions.
Ihave found that it is best danced to polkas or reels,the original tune is rather like salmon tails up the water.
THE RATTLING BOG seems to fit it well,however some dancers in this area have been taught it to jigs,if they ask for jigs I play a polka.the stepping, seven steps, doesn,t seem to suit jigs at all.
any dancers got any opinions on this one.http://www.dickmiles.com