'The Planting Stick' is a variant of the venerable jig 'Bryan O'Lynn', a tune I first learned from my grandmother, Elizabeth Collins (née Rochford). A number of versions of 'Bryan O'Lynn' are to be found in this collection. The tune appears in Patrick W. Joyce's collection Ancient Irish Music as 'The Planting Stick'. However, the first time I heard the version which Maeve Donnelly plays for us on this track was on a cassette tape recorded in New York in the 1950s, played by an unknown fiddle player. Paddy Canny from Tulla in County Clare was in the company in New York that same evening, and he played yet another version of 'Bryan O'Lynn'.
(More on Kathleen on the tunes 'Kathleen Lawrie's' and 'The Fiddler Around the Faerie Tree'.)
The exciting recording on this track was made by RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, featuring master musicians Tony MacMahon and Steve Cooney. The first jig is associated with the piping of Brother Gildas O'Shea. The second jig of the set, 'Bryan O'Lynn', is one of a number of closely related tunes, variants of which include 'The Planting Stick' and 'Magpie in the Tree', found elsewhere in this collection. The two tunes on this track were played together previously by Tommy Potts and Tommy Reck, and they make for a beautiful pairing. Although the first tune does not appear in sheet music form in this collection, both tunes may be found in The Leo Rowsome Collection of Irish Music. Thanks to Malachy Moran, manager of Audio Services and Archive at RTÉ Radio, for permission to use the recording for this project, and to Raidió na Gaeltachta. A special 'thank you' to Steve Cooney for his generous help in tracking down the original recording, and for the great guitar playing that complemented Tony's magical performance. Tony, thanks for the music and for bringing this track to my attention.