Mountains of Pomeroy

[Brett]

Hi All,

It's been a long time since I posted here, not sure if anyone remembers me. Since my last post I have gotten married, bought new house and had a baby, well my wife had the baby. So I haven't found much time for the mando let alone message boards.

Anyway new decision to make a little time for myself and the mando again!

To the point...
I know a tune called the mountain of Pomeroy, nice slow tune. I lately came across song lyrics with a title of the same name. I was wondering did anyone know was the song and the tune the same? However I've never heard a recording of the tune, only learned it in a session, and no one I know has ever heard a recording of it. If anyone has a recording of the song or tune could they tell me who sing/plays/recorded it? Any info that would help me match the two?

The song starts...

The morn was breaking bright and fair,
The lark sang in the sky,
When the maid she bound her golden hair,
With a blithe glance in her eye;
For, who beyond the gay green-wood,
Was a-waiting her with joy,
Oh, who but her gallant Renardine,
On the mountains of Pomeroy.

Any help would be appreciated

[Dolamon]

Well - This - seems to be a fair representation of one version of it. It's also known as "Mountains of Mourne".

I hope this helps - To get this to play on line, you may need to sign into the Session and get a membership. No cost and virtually painless. Oh yes - congratulations on all the changes in your life. You may find (like a lot of us) the only consistent things may end up being your music and your mandolin.

[Aidan Crossey]

Regarding this tune. There are a small number of tunes of songs which are reasonably common in Ireland which make into the traditional musician's repertoire. Generally speaking "tunes are tunes and songs are songs". (Let's leave the genre of slow airs out of the equation ... since the "big" slow airs/songs are a favourite preoccupation of the very best musicians and something which we on the foothills of the learning curve are best advised to leave until we're approaching musical maturity!)

However Mountains Of Pomeroy is one such tune. For a STUNNING interpretation, listen to Joe Derrane, Frankie Gavin and Brian McGrath play the set "The Mistrel Boy/God Save Ireland/The Mountains of Pomeroy" (opening track on "Ireland's Harvest", Mapleshade Records 09232). In less sensitive hands, this set could have been a cheesy disaster. However ... with Derrane in particular taking every advantage offered by the tunes to add colour with his trademark punchy and intelligent ornamentation, the set is a blinder ... almost a highlight of the album (which is wall-to-wall highlights!).

It's a tad difficult to diagnose which "songs" might make it into the repertoire of music deemed acceptable by trad musicians. For example, in my locale a fiddler is given to playing "Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms" and "The Wee Lass That Has My Heart Broken". The effect is excruciating!!

The same group of players to whom he belongs also like to play (for which read murder) "Boolavogue". I often wonder why people bother to massacre such lovely, complex and delicate tunes when there's a cornucopia of dance tunes they could be murdering much less conspicuously! (Oooh ... I'm being very bitchy today, sorry!)

However ... said fiddler also plays "The Boys Of Wexford" which is a great march and very well-suited to the musicians' repertoire ... so he's not completely devoid of tastefulness. Other song airs which I find work very well as "tunes" include "Kelly, The Boy From Killane" ... a classic march whose drive is tempered by a certain pathos and "Rosin The Bow" and "The Bould Thady Quill". However I suspect the latter were once dance tunes which acquired lyrics and have since become better known as songs than as dance tunes.

(I hesitate to suggest it ... but I've also had great value out of "Roddy McCorley" ... played by a bunch of good musicians, it's nowhere near as cheesy as you might think!)

Any other song airs which are played in your areas? Any which work brilliantly? Any which make your teeth curl?

A closing thought ... I wish "The Boys Of Fair Hill" had been written in the standard A-part/B-part manner. As a one-part tune it doesn't really fit the session modus operandi ... but what a cracking melody!!!

[dave17120]

Hi, you'll also find Mountains of Pomeroy on a CD called 'Blue Shamrock' by Alec Finn, very nice slow airs on bouzouki and guitar, supported by some excellent musicians.
All the best, Dave

[Dagger Gordon]

I heard Seamus Begley sing it last night.

Don't know if he's recorded it. He was performing in Poolewe as part of a festival called Blas, with Jim Murray on guitar.

[dave]

You can find a lovely version of The Mountains Of Pomeroy sung by Seamus Begley on Cathal Haydens excellent self titled CD
Cathal Hayden - © 2002 - Woodstock Records

Produced by: Arty McGlyn