Star of the County Down

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"Star of the County Down" (Roud 4801) is an Irish ballad set near Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. The words are by Cathal MacGarvey (1866–1927) from Ramelton, County Donegal.<ref name="col1">Template:Cite book</ref> MacGarvey's song was first collected in Herbert Hughes' Irish Country Songs. The tune is traditional, and may be known as "Dives and Lazarus" or (as a hymn tune) "Kingsfold".

The melody was also used in an Irish folk song called "My Love Nell".<ref>Folksongs&Ballads popular in Ireland, Volume 3, Loesberg, pp 72</ref> The lyrics of "My Love Nell" tell the story of a young man who courts a girl but loses her when she emigrates to America.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The only real similarity with "Star of the County Down" is that Nell too comes from County Down. This may have inspired MacGarvey to place the heroine of his new song in Down as well.Template:Citation needed MacGarvey was from Donegal. The chorus of a similar song, "The Flower of the County Down" names landmarks local to Down, in contrast to those in "Star" which are from across Ireland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

"The Star of the County Down" uses a tight rhyme scheme. Each stanza is a double quatrain, and the first and third lines of each quatrain have an internal rhyme on the second and fourth feet: [aa]b[cc]b. The refrain is a single quatrain with the same rhyming pattern.

The song is sung from the point of view of a young man who chances to meet a charming lady by the name of Rose (or Rosie) McCann, referred to as the "star of the County Down". From a brief encounter the writer's infatuation grows until, by the end of the ballad, he imagines himself marrying the girl.

<score> \new Score { 

 \new Staff {
   <<
     \new Voice = "one" \relative c' {
       \clef treble
       \key f \major
       \time 4/4
       
       \partial 8*2 f8( e) | d4 d d c8 d | f4 f g f8( g) | a4 g8( f) d4 d | c2.
     }
     \new Lyrics \lyricsto "one" {
       In __ Ban- bridge Town near the Coun- ty Down one __ mor- ning __ last Ju- ly
     }
   >>
 }

} </score>

The song usually begins with the opening verse:

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<poem>Near Banbridge town, in the County Down,

One morning last July Down a boreen green came a sweet colleen, And she smiled as she passed me by</poem>{{#if:|

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Versions

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  • British vocal ensemble The King's Singers recorded an arrangement by Howard Goodall on their albums Watching the White Wheat (1985) and Postcards (2014).
  • Irish band The High Kings uploaded a version of the song to their YouTube channel in 2011 titled "Star of the County Down".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • German metal band Lyriel recorded a version of the song for the 2012 album Leverage as a bonus track.
  • Irish-Scottish band Celtic Thunder released the song on their version of the song in 2015 on their album The Very Best of Celtic Thunder.
  • The Kelly Family put that song on their album 25 years later.
  • The Longest Johns uploaded a version of the song featuring Colm R. McGuinness on their YouTube channel in 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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References

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