<![CDATA[The Séamus Connolly Collection of Irish Music]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=46&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Connolly%2C+S%C3%A9amus&sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CIdentifier&sort_dir=d&page=2&output=rss2 Fri, 29 Mar 2024 04:04:46 -0700 burnsref@bc.edu (The Séamus Connolly Collection of Irish Music) Boston College Libraries Zend_Feed http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <![CDATA[Remembering Curly]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/401

Story

Paula, a fiddle student in one of my classes at the Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp, asked me to 'make a tune' in honour of her late father, Curly. Paula really wanted to play something new at the student concert which was to be held at the end of the week of classes. I agreed at the time, but somehow managed to forget her request until one afternoon, I awoke from a nap in a panic. I had only then remembered my promise to Paula, and then panicked more. Never having known Curly or anything about him, it was not easy to make a tune for him. However, I did take out my fiddle and gave it a few strokes. Happily, I began to get some ideas into my head of what 'Remembering Curly' might sound like. With some shape to the tune, Paula was able to play it at the concert.

A more complete version of the tune is heard on this track, with my good friends the late John McGann playing guitar and Gabriel Donohue on keyboard. John was very involved with the transcription of the tunes for this project but, alas, he left us too soon. So in John's memory, perhaps 'Remembering Curly Remembering John McGann' might be a perfect title for this tune. Thanks, John, for all the music, stories, laughs, and friendship.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
07-37_Remembering_Curly-Air.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:09 -0800
<![CDATA[My Meitheal Class]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/513

Story

A week-long Irish music school known as Meitheal is held every year in Limerick. The five-day immersion in Irish music is directed by flute player Garry Shannon. As a teacher at the summer school, I had an assignment to work with a group of students who were interested in learning how to make up tunes. The music of composers Liz Carroll, Josephine Keegan, and Phil Cunningham from Scotland were used as examples. Students were asked to study the approach and methods used by these well-known composers. 'I'm not too sure where this is going to go', I said to myself. 'Music, I believe, happens when one is least thinking about it." However, after much listening, discussion, agreement, and collaborating, the students composed this tune. A talented group of young musicians – concertina players, accordionists, and other instruments all performing together – a wonderful sight to hear and behold! I have no fear for the future of Irish music. Nicole Rabata, a young flute player from Portland, Maine, joins me on this track. Listen and enjoy.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
07-33_My_Meitheal_Class-Jig.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:14 -0800
<![CDATA[Bells of Congress, The]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/550

Story

The Bells of Congress were presented to the United States by the Ditchley Foundation of Great Britain in 1976. A replica of the bells in London's Westminster Abbey, they are rung in honour of the opening and closing of Congress, and on state occasions and all national holidays. The Old Post Office in Washington houses the Bells of Congress and a guided tour of the building by the National Park Service is worth taking.

In the 1980s, as part of a musical delegation to Washington, D.C., representing the State of Massachusetts, I had the honour of visiting the Old Post Office and hearing the bells ring. When in full peal, the bells can take up to three and a half hours to complete their continuous performance. However, my composition on this track takes only a few minutes. I am joined by Gabriel Donohue on guitar.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
07-29_The_Bells_of_Congress-Planxty.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:16 -0800
<![CDATA[Thomas Power's March]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/546

Story

Another tune from the playing of Thomas Power from Doonbeg in County Clare. On this track, I am joined by Kevin McElroy on bodhrán and Nicole Rabata on flute to perform our interpretation of the march.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
07-28_Thomas_Powers_March.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:16 -0800
<![CDATA[Shandon Bells]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/510

Story

Having lived in the beautiful and historic city of Cork in the 1960s, I often think back to the happy times I had while beginning to find my feet in the big world of city life. The clock tower of St. Anne's Church has special meaning for me because the Bells of Shandon often chimed as I walked past the church. Whenever I hear the wonderful poem 'The Bells of Shandon', penned by Francis Sylvester Mahony, it is with deep affection and recollection that I think of the Shandon Bells. Mahony's words are very meaningful to me, and I quote from his poem here for all to read:

'With deep affection
And recollection
I often think of
Those Shandon Bells
Whose sounds so wild would,
In the days of childhood,
Fling round my cradle
Their magic spells.
On this I ponder
Where'er I wander,
And thus grow fonder,
Sweet Cork, of thee.
With thy bells of Shandon,
That sound so grand on
The pleasant waters
Of the river Lee.'

The grand old jig 'Shandon Bells', the first in O'Neill's The Dance Music of Ireland, 1001 Gems, is played on this track by Nicole Rabata on flute and myself on fiddle. We play it as a four-part tune. I played it many times as a two-part jig in the city by the River Lee. I first heard the two extra parts played by David Curry and his orchestra. They are two parts well worth hearing and preserving for posterity.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
07-24_Shandon_Bells-Jig.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:14 -0800
<![CDATA[Man at the Helm]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/650

Story

I made this tune to honour the late Larry Reynolds of Galway, my friend for many years. Larry took me under his wing when I arrived in Boston in the 1970s. As president of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Boston, he guided the organisation from strength to strength. Larry always gave a great welcome to any musician young or old who came to visit or live in Boston.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

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07-23_Man_at_the_Helm-Reel.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:20 -0800
<![CDATA[How Are You, Sandy? (Sandy Connolly's)]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/508

Story

It meant much to my wife Sandy and me when Bill Black, our friend from Cape Cod, sent us a tune that he composed in her honour entitled 'How Are You, Sandy?' Bill later sent the tune under the new title 'Sandy Connolly's' when she left us to go to her eternal reward. Thank you, sir, for caring so much. Sandy was very moved by your thoughtfulness. My friend Kevin McElroy joins me on this track.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
07-15_How_Are_You_Sandy_Sandy_Connollys-Jig.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:14 -0800
<![CDATA[Leamanagh Castle]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/639

Story

Flute player Frank Neylon had a repertoire of fine tunes associated with his native Kilnaboy in north County Clare. Frank was living in Boston, Massachusetts, when I arrived there from Ireland in the 1970s. He was well-known and respected by all as a gentleman and a fine musician. He made some 78 RPM recordings with the County Kerry fiddle player Paddy Cronin, and he was featured on a long-playing record that I produced of musicians living in and around the Boston area in 1979. I asked Nicole Rabata to learn this reel from Frank's flute playing. For want of the tune's real title, I took the liberty of naming it after a landmark in Frank's home area.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
07-07_Leamanagh_Castle-Reel.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:20 -0800
<![CDATA[Brave Irish Boys, The]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/545

Story

Irish céilí dancing was very popular in the late 1950s and early '60s, and dancers loved the idea of dancing to the music of different bands. In the late 1950s I was invited to join The Ormond Star Céilí Band, one of a number of bands that were formed around the banks of The Shannon and Lough Derg. The Ormond Star counted among its members many fine musicians, including All-Ireland champion button accordionist Paddy Ryan from Coolbawn, Nenagh, County Tipperary, and fiddle player Liam O'Connor, originally from Brosna, County Kerry. Liam taught me many tunes, including the one played on this track by my friend Nicole Rabata on flute, with myself on fiddle. Just for the record, The Ormond Star did travel to Dublin to make a long-playing recording – exciting times for me as a teenager.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
07-06_The_Brave_Irish_Boys-March.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:16 -0800
<![CDATA[Joy of My LIfe]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/505

Story

This well-known jig is performed on this track by yours truly, Séamus Connolly. With help on the banjo from my friend Kevin McElroy, we offer this grand two-part jig as a way to invite musicians to play this tune once again. The interesting second part of the tune comes from the fiddle playing of Thomas Power from Doonbeg in County Clare.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

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07-02_Joy_of_My_Life-Jig.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:14 -0800
<![CDATA[Billy Caples' Barndance]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/411

Story

This barndance is another tune from the repertoire of Boston accordionist Billy Caples. I am joined by Nicole Rabata playing flute and Kevin McElroy playing the tenor banjo. Gabriel Donohue later added his piano playing to the track.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
06-32_Billy_Caples_Barndance.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:10 -0800
<![CDATA[Old as the Hills]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/501

Story

Jack Coen gave me the name for this jig, which can be found as a two-part tune in A major in the O'Neill's 1001 collection. I first heard the tune played by 'The Man of Many Tunes', Larry Gavin. I also heard a version of it performed by Mr. David Curry and his orchestra in a radio broadcast when I was still living in Ireland. A classical musician, David Curry took traditional tunes in the public domain and arranged them for orchestra. Maine flute player Nicole Rabata and I play David Curry's four-part setting of 'Old as the Hills'. We transposed it to the key of G major, the key that Larry Gavin played it in many years ago.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
06-15_Old_as_the_Hills-Jig.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:14 -0800
<![CDATA[Mordaunt's Fancy]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/497

Story

This jig was played in my home in Killaloe, County Clare, when I was a young boy. It was not played by me, but by button accordionist Terry Lane on the turntable of our record player! Now, whenever I hear Mr. Lane's recordings, or 'Mordaunt's Fancy', it brings back childhood memories. My friend Geraldine Cotter from Ennis, County Clare, joins me on piano. We recorded the track in Geraldine's home in front of a blazing turf fire.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
06-03_Mordaunts_Fancy-Jig.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:14 -0800
<![CDATA[Queen of May, The]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/441

Story

Leo Rowsome recorded this intricate hornpipe many years ago on a 78 RPM record. I recorded it with master piper Liam O'Flynn in 1988 on my record Notes From My Mind. On this track flute player Kevin Crawford joins me in keeping the tune alive.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
06-01_The_Queen_of_May-Hornpipe.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:11 -0800
<![CDATA[O'Carolan's (Number 174)]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/729

Story

Turlough O'Carolan's eighteenth-century compositions have attracted the attention of musicians all over the world. His music occupies a unique and permanent place in the repertoire of Irish traditional music. I learned this tune from the guitar playing of my friend Anisa Angarola. We played it together on Anisa's CD Birdwatcher Hill, and that track appears here. The tune can be found as number 174 in Donal O'Sullivan's magisterial collection Carolan: The Life, Times and Music of an Irish Harper, Volume 1.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
05-16_OCarolans_Number_174-Waltz.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:24 -0800
<![CDATA[Ullulu Mo Mháilín]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/563

Story

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 native province of Munster. The tune also appears in P.W. Joyce's collection Ancient Irish Music.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
04-35_Ullulu_Mo_Mhailin-Polka.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:17 -0800
<![CDATA[Peig and Mick Ryan]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/562

Story

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 forms. We have been friends forever it seems. Peig and Mick would visit my home in Killaloe, County Clare, and hearing Peig's flute playing and Mick's singing was always a delight.

When my wife Sandy and I visited Peig a few years ago we recorded her music including this polka (with me playing along). At eighty-four years young, Peig had the same old enthusiasm and fondness for the music. Paddy Neil from near Newport, County Tipperary, recorded this polka for Ciarán Mac Mathúna over fifty years ago. I had originally named it for Mr. Neil, but I'm confident he would approve of my naming it for his friends and neighbours, Peig and Mick Ryan.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

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04-25_Peig_and_Mick_Ryan-Polka.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:17 -0800
<![CDATA[Bridge at Newtown, The]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/609

Story

'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.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

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04-24_The_Bridge_at_Newtown-Reel.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:19 -0800
<![CDATA[Cornboy, The]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/608

Story

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 and I played it again in the Raidió Teilifís Éireann studios for this collection. Thanks to Peter Browne for his assistance in making this recording.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
04-21_The_Cornboy-Reel.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:19 -0800
<![CDATA[Old 78 Record, An]]> https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/475

Story

Geraldine Cotter liked this tune the first time she heard me playing it. 'Let's try and record it', she said, and as I played the jig a second time she followed right along. This track is the result of our efforts. I do not have a name for this jig, but I have given it a title based on the fact that I first heard it many years ago on a 78 record.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries
03-20_An_Old_78_Record-Jig.pdf
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Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:43:13 -0800