Star of the County Down - James Brennan (traditional)

I first heard this song as a Civil War re-enactor years ago. When I got into playing Irish music, it was one of the first songs I learned. Each time I play it, I think of my own "sweet colleen" Megan. 😉
🪙 𝓑𝓾𝔂 𝓜𝓮 𝓪 𝓒𝓸𝓯𝓯𝓮𝓮! ☕
linktr.ee/jbre...
𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽!
Enjoy the music! 😃
--
𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽𝔂 𝓓𝓸𝔀𝓷 (traditional)
In Banbridge Town in the County Down,
One morning last July.
Down a bowling green came a sweet colleen,
She smiled as she passed me by.
She looked so sweet from her two bare feet,
To the sheen of her nut brown hair.
Such a coaxing elf, sure I shook myself,
To see twas I was really there.
From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay and
From Galway to Dublin Town,
No maid I've seen like the brown colleen,
That I met in the County Down.
As she onward sped, sure I scratched my head,
I looked with a feeling rare,
And I says, says I, to a passer-by,
"Who's the maid with the nut brown hair?"
He smiled at me and he says, says he,
"That's the gem in the Ireland's crown.
That's Rose McCann from the banks of the Bann,
The star of the County Down."
From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay...
At the harvest fair she'll be surely there.
I'll dress in my Sunday clothes,
With my shoes shone bright and my hat cocked right,
For a smile from my nut brown Rose.
No pipe I'll smoke, no horse I'll yoke,
'Til my plough is rusty brown.
'Til a smiling bride sits by my side,
The star of the County Down.
From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay...
--
#singer #guitar #ireland #acoustic #acousticguitar #folkmusic #scotland #irish #irishmusic #scottish #celtic #celticmusic

[@domsumner7307]

Brown coleen? Isnt it fair?

[@JBrennanMusic]

I’ve heard it sung that way too. The version I learned had “brown” so that’s the way I’ve always sung it.

[@JaylorKrend]

You tend to not decide to go down when singing, you stick to moving up. (drinkin not thinking, browsing youtube.) why is that? I enjoyed it but you stick to the same octave in alot of songs. not alot of moving out of that range. Sounds great though!!!!!! I enjoyed it!

[@JBrennanMusic]

A lot of the songs tend to be in either D or G, so that’s part of it. Another thing is that I’ve always had trouble singing into the bass level. My voice can’t go that low so by default I aim higher! 😁 Thank you!