'The Bridge', as it was affectionately called, was home to Dinny O'Brien, concertina and fiddle player. It was also the home of accordionist Paddy O'Brien, my musical colleague in the 1960s and '70s. The bridge in question is on the road between Portroe and Nenagh, County Tipperary. As a tribute to the O'Brien family, and in particular to Paddy, I composed this reel. It is played on this track by a former student of Máire O'Keeffe's, Tara Breen, a young fiddle player who has won the Fiddler of Dooney competition and the All-Ireland Championship. Tara's playing is a special treat. The tune is in E major, a key not commonly used in Irish music.

Connolly, Séamus (composer) 33682623

O'Brien, Paddy 28799446

Séamus Connolly

Boston College Libraries

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.