Browse Content (64 total)
- Subject is exactly "Flute music--Ireland"
Young When He's Dancing
This tune was composed by Chicago fiddle player Devin Shepherd. He plays it here with his friend Sean Gavin on flute. Devin named the tune for Mike Doyle from County Wexford, who now lives in Chicago. Mike is an avid enthusiast of the music and can…
Whelan's Auld Sow
The leader of the band Cherish the Ladies is Joanie Madden, who plays this tune for us on the flute. I first heard Eddie Moloney play it. Eddie came from Ballinakill in County Galway and may have named the tune. Tommy Whelan was a member of the…
Top of the Bow
Flute player Shannon Heaton wrote 'Top of the Bow' for her friends Emerald and Eden, two fiddle-playing sisters. They had their fiddles out in the car, learning a tune on the way to a gig. However, after realizing that their playing had left little…
Thomas Power's March
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.
Tart ar an Ól
A version of this tune can be found in The Roche Collection, but I first heard it played by Eddie Moloney from Ballinakill, County Galway. Eddie, Tommy Mulhaire, and his son Brendan were among those who travelled on a number of occasions in the 1960s…
Shandon Bells
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…
Séamus Connolly's
I am so honoured that my great friend, the prolific composer Bob McQuillen, wrote this tune for me. 'The Professor', as I call him, is a special person in my life and I have for many years admired his compositions and music. Bob is heard playing his…
Sandy's Reel
The first time that I heard New England contra dance music was in 1972 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was on an LP recording of The Canterbury Country Dance orchestra from New England. Among the members of that band was Bob McQuillen, the prolific…
Quinn Family, The
Shannon and Matt Heaton give vibrant life to a barndance which I first heard on the long-playing record Music from the Glens. The album featured the talented Quinn family from New York, hence the title I've given the tune to honour this musical clan…
Queen of May, The
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.
Pride of Erin
Sean Nugent and his Pride of Erin Céilí Band from County Fermanagh loved to play this jig. So too did Johnny McGreevy from Chicago, who played it for me in 1972 with piano player Eleanor Kane Neary. Jimmy Noonan on flute and Dan Gurney…
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…
Peggy Monaghan's
Peggy Monaghan was Sean Nugent's sister, and he honoured her with this fine reel. It is played here by his son Larry Nugent. Thanks, Larry, for the tunes!
Patsy Hanly's
I played a recording of this reel for my friend Jimmy Noonan. The identity of the player was a mystery to me, but Jimmy's astute judgment identified the musician as Patsy Hanly, the flute player from County Roscommon. Who better, then, to play this…
Old Wheels of the World (Johnny McGreevy's version)
Some of the lovely variations in Shannon Heaton's playing of this reel came from Johnny McGreevy, the Chicago fiddle master. They were given to Shannon by the one and only Liz Carroll, who also comes from that City by the Lake.
Old Torn Petticoat
I believe it is important to feature master fiddle player Julia Clifford and her son Billy playing the first dance tune in this collection. It was the first reel that they recorded for me that night in Tralee over fifty years ago, when Julia invited…
Old as the Hills
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…
North Road, The
My young friend Meghan Mette composed this reel. I was delighted that she asked me to play it with her, along with Nicole Rabata on flute and Kevin McElroy on mandolin. She tells us how the tune came about: 'I wrote this tune for Séamus first…
Night Above the Abbey, The
A tune composed by Sean Gavin when he was nineteen years old. The tune is in honour of good musical times that were had at the famed Abbey Pub in Chicago, a traditional music hub for many years. Sean plays his creation on flute (he is a…
My Meitheal Class
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…