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“Star of the County Down” is a top five Irish folk song for me, specifically this modern recording by The High Kings.
The song tells the tale of a young man who passes a rather comely woman while walking down the street in Banbridge town. He asks someone else nearby about her and learns her name is Rosie McGann.
The young man then proceeds to spend the rest of the song singing (literally) Miss McGann’s praises. She’s apparently quite the dancer and singer. He finishes the song dreaming of one day being married to the “fair cailín that [he] met in the County Down.”
The lyrics were written around the turn of the 20th century by Cathal MacGarvey. The melody is a traditional tune usually called “Dives and Lazarus,” though it does go by other names at times. I’m not including lyrics here or in the PDF for copyright reasons, but they are easy to find online.
“Star of the County Down” Playing Tips
I transcribed “Star of the County Down” in 4/4 as a reel, which is pretty much how The High Kings and others perform it. You’ll find other versions of the tune written as a waltz. I may have to include one of those here at some point as it is fun to play adapted to 3/4.
As with most songs written to be sung, the melody is fairly straightforward, with lots of repeating ideas. The low G version sticks to first position, but the high G music does climb up all the way to the 10th fret on the A string. It’s a good one to practice if you need a good intro to moving out of first position.
The high G version is also good to check out if the low G version, which is in the key of F (Dm), doesn’t work for your singing voice (assuming you plan to sing). The high G music is in C (Am), which is generally more comfortable for the average voice, so give it a go if you struggle with the low G version.
Click the link or the ‘Download’ button below to see the sheet music if your browser doesn’t display the embedded PDF. The sheet music for the high G version of the song is listed second, below the low G version.
“Star of the County Down” Low G Sheet Music Download
“Star of the County Down” High G Sheet Music Download
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