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“John Ryan’s Polka” is a tune that has shown up in my life a lot recently. My first introduction to the song was the “Party in Third Class” scene in the “Titanic” movie. I was in elementary school when I watched the movie for the first time and did not have any connection to the song. I remember loving the music of that scene, though.
In 2024, we were watching “Bluey” at work, as I work with
kids. The “Faeries” episode came on, and “John Ryan’s Polka” played throughout
the episode. It sounded so familiar, but I could not place it. At one point in
the episode, Bandit, Bluey and Bingo’s dad, was dancing to the song and said, “I
am the lord of the dance.” This made me think that it was either in “Lord of
the Dance” or “Riverdance.” When the
shift was done, I stopped at a café in the lobby of my job, and while waiting
in line, I looked the song up. I think I typed in something along the lines of “Bluey
Faeries song,” and “John Ryan’s Polka” was the answer I was looking for.
When I went to a local Irish festival for St. Patrick’s Day
weekend in 2025, I saw the band Na’bodach. I really enjoyed their performance
and was getting into the music. Suddenly, in a medley of their songs entitled “Hornpipe,
Retreat, and Polka,” a familiar tune came up. It was “John Ryan’s Polka”! I got
so excited and immediately told my friend how much I loved that song. It was so
cool to hear the song out in the wild and to be able to know it.
At Glenside’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival in 2026,
there was a float that featured Raymond Coleman and other Irish and Celtic musicians.
While Coleman typically sings, the musicians on the float were playing an
instrumental tune. I got so excited when I realized that it was “John Ryan’s
Polka.” It was great to once again recognize a song that I love out in the
wild.
Later in 2026, I saw “Titanic” again in theaters. Being able
to revisit the “Party in Third Class” scene with a love of “John Ryan’s Polka” brought
me so much joy. I remember feeling so happy to know the song and be able to
fully appreciate it. I also loved knowing so much about the Titanic disaster itself
since I had done some research for an article before seeing the movie again.”