Kerry Polka: A Song History
"Kerry Polka" is less a single tune than a name shared by several Irish polkas, and the Traditional Tune Archive keeps separate entries for four of them: one in D major that also goes by "Peg Ryan's,"[1] one in B minor,[2] one in G whose history field points to Munster,[3] and one in E Dorian, printed in 1997 as "The Kerry No. 2."[4] Alan Ng's irishtune.info, meanwhile, lists "Kerry Polka" as an alternate name for the D-major tune best known as John Ryan's Polka.[5] Since the sources consulted here attach the title to more than one melody, a given book or session may mean a different tune by it.[1][5]
Lord Otho Fitzgerald, The Meeting of the Waters, Killarney, albumen silver print, 1854. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public domain (CC0). A Kerry scene shown for the tune's name; it has no connection to the music.
For John Ryan's Polka, the oldest recording in irishtune.info's index is Planxty's 1974 album Cold Blow and the Rainy Night, with later entries including flute player Josie McDermott in 1976 and accordion player Johnny Reidy around 1981.[5] The Traditional Tune Archive calls the Planxty recording influential, notes that the tune is often coupled with Denis Murphy's Polka, and adds that many modern players now regard it as an overplayed beginner's piece.[6]
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