Introducing Down by the Salley Gardens The Mourne Shore

In this video I introduce and walk us through the tune, Down by the Salley Gardens. This tune is also named The Mourne Shore.

This is an old tune found in O’Neill’s 1850 collection of Irish music known as The Mourne Shore.

The more popular version of the tune is a combination of the tune The Mourne Shore and the lyrics are based on the Yeats poem Down by the Salley Gardens.

Here are the lyrics to the poem by Yeats:

“Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet; She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet. She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree; But I, being young and foolish, with her would not agree.

In a field by the river my love and I did stand, And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand. She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs; But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears.”

This is a great tune to learn in combining expression and ornamentation. Play it more thoughtfully than mournfully, but play it as an air.

Select the video on the right to learn the tune with me.

Select Download to access a pdf of the music and tabs.