Annotation:Tom Ward's Downfall
X:1 T:Tom Ward's Downfall T:Mourne Mountains [1], The R:reel Z:id:hn-reel-436 Z:transcribed by henrik.norbeck@mailbox.swipnet.se M:C| L:1/8 K:G BG~G2 GEDG|EDEG AEGA|DEGA ~B3d|ed~d2 egdc| BG~G2 GEDG|EDEG AEGE|DEGA ~B3d|1 egdc BGGA:|2 egdc BAGB|| |:dggf gedg|eaab a2ga|bg~g2 agef|gedc BGGB| dggf gedg|eaab a2ga|bg~g2 agef|1 gedc BAGB:|2 gedc BGGA||
TOM WARD'S DOWNFALL (Bascadh Thomáis Mhic an Bháird). AKA and see "Bascadh Thomáis Mhic an Bháird," “Follow Me Down to Carlow (3)," “Let a Body Lie with You,” “Long Hills of Mourne (2) (The),” “Mourne Mountains (2), "'Purty Girl (The), "Reel (97).” Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Perlman): AABB (Breathnach, Miller & Perron, Moylan): AABB' (Flaherty). A version of the "Tom Ward's Downfall" family of tunes was entered as an untitled reel into Book 2 of the large c. 1883 music manuscript collection of County Leitrim fiddler and piper biography:Stephen Grier (c. 1824-1894), for which see "Reel (97)." During the 78 RPM era the melody (under the “Tom Ward” title) was recorded by Sligo fiddlers Michael Coleman in 1927 and Paddy Killoran in 1939 (paired with “McGovern's Favorite”). In was recorded by Peter Conlon in 1929 as the follow-up tune to “Coalminer's (The),” according to Philippe Varlet, although the label on the record called the medley “The Fiddler’s Delight.” A rare version of “Tom Ward” is called “The American Reel,” according to Caoimhin Mac Aoidh (1994), which was imported home to County Donegal by fiddler Charlie Doherty (of the famous fiddling Doherty family) when he returned after his years in America. O’Neill printed the tune as “Mourne Mountains (1).” Barrel Rafferty, Galway flute player Mike Rafferty’s father, knew the tune by the title “Follow Me Down to Carlow,” although that title is usually applied to other melodies.
A closely related American old-time tune is the Kentucky melody "Merriweather," while the second strain of West Virginia fiddler Edden Hammons’ "Cumberland Gap (4)," mirrors the second strain of “Tow Ward’s Downfall.”
