13 BALLYDESMOND POLKAS - No.1 Like many Irish polkas, the Ballydesmond polkas have a rather plaintive, meiancholic quality and are, | suspect, of older vintage than the polka craze of the19th century. If so, they would simply have been converted to the polka rhythm to meet public demand. Ballydesmond, formerly called Kingwilliamstown, is a small -" and you'll miss it,” | was told - village in Slabh Luachra, These polkas are the last two of a set of three played on. The Star Above The Garter (Claddagh, 1969) by Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford - see note on Julta Clifford's. Semiquaver Triplets A plainer version of bars A5 and B5 of the second Ballydesmond tune would be: In the version given here, however, the third quaver is replaced by a semI- quaver triplet -'a rounded, rolling ornament; ee e