The Watchman’s Polka

June 2021

The Watchmen’s Polka by Davie Eunson

This catchy tune is a firm favourite around Orkney and was written by Davie Eunson from Deerness, the most easterly part of Orkney. In addition to being a prolific tune-writer, he was also an artist, poet, boat-builder, farmer, fiddler and fiddle-maker - a man of many talents! The Watchmen’s Polka is just one of many tunes he composed and is included in The Slow Session Tunebook (available in our online shop) and an audio file is included below as an example of how it can be played. The Watchmen’s Polka has been a frequent addition to recent online Slow Sessions, replays of which can be found on our Facebook page.

The melody has a lively lift to it which is heard throughout the 4-part tune. Each of the first three parts is repeated, while the last part is twice as long and ends with a syncopated run leading to the final phrase - the tune’s oft-repeated motif. 

In ‘A Breath of Orkney’, a compilation of poems and original tunes by David Eunson, the introduction to this tune says:

“...Here’s a tune that might have been more likely to have been written on a spring morning on the way home when the mist had lifted, the watch was called off, and the foghorn’s mournful moan replaced by birdsong.” p.22

Other well-known tunes in the collection include Dancing Waves and the Deerness Two-Step (which is also in the Slow Session TuneBook).

Simon Ireson has recorded a version of this tune for you to play along with.