Browse Content (338 total)
Cornboy, The
When we were traveling throughout America on the first Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann tour of champion musicians, singers, and dancers in 1972, I had the great pleasure of playing this reel with fiddle player Paddy Glackin. Paddy…
Con Cassidy's
This tune bears the name of noted fiddle player Con Cassidy, and it may well have been played as a single jig in his native County Donegal. There was no doubt about West Limerick accordion player Donie Nolan's interpretation of it as a slide. He…
Roseanne's Reel
The lovely fiddle music of Máire O'Keeffe is once again heard on this track. The tune was passed down from John Lenihan to Maurice O'Keeffe, who in turn gave it to Máire.
Bridge at Newtown, The
'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…
Peig and Mick Ryan
Traditional Irish music is on a strong footing, due in no small way to Peig and Mick Ryan from Murroe, County Limerick. At a time when the music was unpopular, Peig and her husband Mick worked diligently to promote Irish music and culture in all its…
Ah, a Simple Little Yoke
When I visited the accordion master Finbarr Dwyer at his home in County Clare, he played this jig, which he had composed when he was about ten years old. Finbarr did not think too highly of the tune: he can be heard on the recording describing it…
Limerick Jig, The
Back in the early 1960s, I was very friendly with Mrs. Taylor, the concertina player from West Limerick who lived in London. We exchanged many letters over the years in which music was always a topic. The well-known flute player Paddy Taylor learned…
Grandfather's Thought
This hornpipe from Julia, John, and Billy Clifford is played here for us by Shannon Heaton on flute. The tune may be found on an LP that the Cliffords recorded during their years in London, England, entitled The Star of Munster Trio, Music from…
Scully Casey's
John 'Scully' Casey, father to the great County Clare fiddle player Bobby Casey, was a well-known and respected fiddle player in his day. Bobby, in his generosity, recorded this reel for me years ago. It is played on this recording by Gráinne…
Going Home
I have known and admired the music of Eamon Flynn since 1957. Eamon, like myself, lived in Boston for many years, and we often played music together. When Eamon decided to move to the state of Vermont he began to compose some smashing tunes,…
Carraigín Ruadh
Another composer of fine tunes was fiddle and flute player Brendan Tonra from County Mayo, who immigrated to Boston around 1959. Brendan played this tune, one of his compositions, on a recording made in 1979 by the Boston branch of Comhaltas…
Bonnie Lass of Headlake, The
I first heard this tune played as a hornpipe by Paddy O'Brien with The Lough Gowna Céilí Band in the early 1960s. In fact, the tune was originally composed as a four-part march by Gordon MacQuarrie of Cape Breton. MacQuarrie, a noted…
Danny Meehan's
Master fiddle player Danny Meehan from Donegal lived in London for many years. During his time there, Danny worked by day in the building trade. At night he would do what he liked best: he played his fiddle with his friends and colleagues, and in a…
Celtic Lamb, The
This track comes from the CD To The Dance Floor, released in 2006 by a Rhode Island-based group called The Gnomes. Among its members is Phil Edmonds, the composer of this beautiful tune. Phil and I went to the same school in Killaloe, where we…
Ullulu Mo Mháilín
Played here as a polka, this melody is a macaronic song, with Irish and English words. It is the one and only tune that fiddle player Matt Cranitch and I recorded for this collection. It came very naturally to us, since it is a famous song in our…
Bobby Gardiner's (Number Two)
The art form of lilting is demonstrated here by Bobby Gardiner. My grandmother Elizabeth Collins (née Rochford), herself a very good lilter, told me that 'jiggers', as she called them, were commonly called upon whenever musicians were not…
Jim Corcoran's Polka
Jim Corcoran is a wonderful friend who plays the fiddle and loves polkas. So does his teacher Laurel Martin, who composed this one for him. Here she plays it for all of us to hear and learn.
Mr. and Mrs. Ted McGraw
I have known Ted and Bridget McGraw of Rochester, New York, since the 1980s. I have great memories of playing with Ted in The Village Coachhouse, in Brookline, Massachusetts, a veritable musical institution that was owned by the Varian family of…
Lisa and Patrick
I remember listening to Frank Claudy playing his whistle in the room next to mine at Gavin's Golden Hill Resort in East Durham in the Catskill Mountains of New York during a week of Irish music, song, and dance. The reel on this track, a composition…
Chestnut Hill
This reel was composed by Séamus McGuire in honour of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, the location of Boston College. Séamus was invited to teach and perform at the Boston College Gaelic Roots Festival. He plays his tune here with his…