https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/items/browse?collection=10&sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CTitle&page=1&output=atom <![CDATA[The Séamus Connolly Collection of Irish Music]]> 2024-03-28T09:19:55-07:00 Omeka https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/682 <![CDATA[Achonry Lassies]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:20-07:00

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Yet another great old tune that was given to me by Chicago fiddle player Johnny McGreevy. The young fiddle player Tina Lech, one of my favourite musicians, plays the tune for us on this track.

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Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

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Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/640 <![CDATA[Aftermath of the Ice Storm]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:13-07:00

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New England is known for its ever-changing weather patterns, and for snow, rain, sleet, and ice. In 2008, the New England states were badly hit with an unforgettable ice storm. People were stranded and without heat in their homes for weeks. Trees were laden down with ice, and the roads were treacherous to drive and walk on. One of the good things that came as a result of the ice storm is this tune composed and played here by Rodney Miller. Certainly, Rodney, your tune will forever remind us of those glittering shiny trees, the downed electrical and phone lines and, of course, the wonderful people who work so hard and so diligently to bring our lives back to normal in the aftermath of such a storm.

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Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

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Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/629 <![CDATA[Ambrose Moloney's]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:11-07:00

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Joe Burke, my lifelong friend, was leader of The Leitrim Céilí Band, named not for the county of Leitrim, but for a townland in east County Galway. I was honoured to have been a member of that musical group when we won the Senior Céilí Band competition in 1962. Ambrose Moloney was one of the flute players in the band and during a tour of England he gave me this tune. I had the honour of recording this reel in the early 1970s with the legendary Tipperary accordionist Paddy O'Brien, with Charlie Lennon at the piano.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/636 <![CDATA[Around Lough Graney]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:12-07:00

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Who better to perform this tune than Martin Hayes, whose home place in County Clare is close to Lough Graney? This reel was shared back and forth across the Shannon among musicians from counties Galway, Tipperary, and Clare. Martin's treatment of the tune gives us exactly what I hoped to hear: his deep insight into the stylistic elements of this lovely reel.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

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Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/617 <![CDATA[Ashcraft-Fraser House]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:09-07:00

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Barbara MacDonald Magone is the composer of this happy reel. She plays it for us in her own beautiful style. Barbara is admired by musicians for her solo piano playing and her sensitivity when performing with others. She composed 'Ashcraft-Fraser House' for Sally Ashcraft and Alasdair Fraser, the great ambassador of Scottish fiddle music, when they bought their first home in California.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/659 <![CDATA[Ballina Lassies, The]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:17-07:00

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I can picture Jimmy Noonan with his eyes closed and his shoulder going up and down as he plays this tune with accordionist Dan Gurney. When Jimmy moves like this playing his flute, it is a visible sign that he is 'in the groove', giving the music the swing that is such a part of his playing. Listen as these wonderful musicians give 'The Ballina Lassies' that lilt and swing that was associated with the older musicians. One can hear that happy lift in the music of master fiddle player Paddy Killoran, from whose recording Dan and Jimmy learned this tune.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/718 <![CDATA[Ballykinler Reel]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:26-07:00

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Here, Larry Redican introduces and then plays a reel he composed to memorialise his friend, the Dublin fiddle player Frank O'Higgins. Ballykinler, in County Down in the North of Ireland, was an army base used as an internment camp during the War of Independence in 1919.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

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Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/690 <![CDATA[Banks of the Shannon, The]]> The Banks of the Shannon mini-LP that we made in the 1970s. I'm not exactly sure why we did not record it. Then, thirty years later, I had the distinct honour of recording a CD called The Boston Edge with another maestro of the accordion, Joe Derrane, with John McGann playing guitar. Joe, like Paddy O'Brien, came up with this very same reel, and also suggested that we record it for The Boston Edge. In the end, for whatever reason, the tune did not make it onto that record either.

Looking back now on both these situations, maybe the reason the tune was not recorded was because we never could find a name for it. One could say that that in itself is not a good reason, and so to redeem ourselves I asked our good friend Catherine McEvoy to do us the honour. In giving it a name for this collection, I had two good choices: 'The Banks of the Shannon', or 'The Boston Edge'. Both titles sound good to me; after all, both masters of the accordion clearly liked the tune. However, I have chosen to call it 'The Banks of the Shannon' because the version Catherine plays on this track comes from a recording of Paddy O'Brien. Unfortunately, I never did capture Joe Derrane playing it. Now it's Catherine's turn.]]>
2016-10-12T08:09:21-07:00

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The reel played on this track by Catherine McEvoy was one that Paddy O'Brien and I had considered recording with Charlie Lennon for The Banks of the Shannon mini-LP that we made in the 1970s. I'm not exactly sure why we did not record it. Then, thirty years later, I had the distinct honour of recording a CD called The Boston Edge with another maestro of the accordion, Joe Derrane, with John McGann playing guitar. Joe, like Paddy O'Brien, came up with this very same reel, and also suggested that we record it for The Boston Edge. In the end, for whatever reason, the tune did not make it onto that record either.

Looking back now on both these situations, maybe the reason the tune was not recorded was because we never could find a name for it. One could say that that in itself is not a good reason, and so to redeem ourselves I asked our good friend Catherine McEvoy to do us the honour. In giving it a name for this collection, I had two good choices: 'The Banks of the Shannon', or 'The Boston Edge'. Both titles sound good to me; after all, both masters of the accordion clearly liked the tune. However, I have chosen to call it 'The Banks of the Shannon' because the version Catherine plays on this track comes from a recording of Paddy O'Brien. Unfortunately, I never did capture Joe Derrane playing it. Now it's Catherine's turn.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/607 <![CDATA[Bird's Nest, The]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:08-07:00

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Tina Lech, a former fiddle instructor at Boston College, performs this tune for all of us to hear. Tina learned the reel from a tape I gave to her of Larry Redican, the Dublin fiddle player who lived in New York. The tune's title was given to me by Nicky McAuliffe from County Kerry. Expert that he is, Nicky told me that master Cape Breton fiddle player Angus Chisholm had recorded it under the name 'The Bird's Nest'.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

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Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/599 <![CDATA[Bobby Gardiner's (Number One)]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:07-07:00

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Master accordionist Bobby Gardiner from Clare composed this reel. I first heard it on an LP he recorded in Ireland, produced by his fellow accordionist Dermot O'Brien: exciting and wonderful music. When I asked Bobby if he would perform it again, for this collection, he told me that he had no recollection of the tune but I certainly could put the tune in the book. I convinced him to play it for me, but for that to happen, I had to send him a copy of the tune so that he could re-learn it. On a visit to Boston College, Bobby did record it and I greatly enjoyed that session. Barbara MacDonald Magone was with us that day and she – with her stories and laughs – made it a memorable occasion.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/549 <![CDATA[Bobby Gardiner's (Number Two)]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:00-07:00

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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 available to play for dancers. Button accordionist Bobby Gardiner both lilts and plays with 'The Clare Swing'. Listen to him on these tracks lilting, then playing his very own tune. Barbara MacDonald Magone joins in on the piano.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/657 <![CDATA[Bottle of Cop-On, A]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:16-07:00

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An expression in Ireland when I was growing up was, 'Ah, cop-on', which means something like 'get with it'. Damien Connolly, my nephew, remembers the saying too, and he suggested the above title as a name for the composition which he plays on this track. Damien writes: 'A Bottle of Cop-On: One of my friends from Sixmilebridge, Paul Delaney, used to say, "You need a good bottle of cop-on". Perhaps he was right! Maybe I still need a good bottle of it. The first few bars of the second part kept coming to me for months til I finally decided to do something about it. I wrote this tune back in 2006.'

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/652 <![CDATA[Bríd Donnelly's]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:15-07:00

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West Clare, The

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I first heard this reel played by Bríd Donnelly, a fine flute player with The Pride of Erin Céilí Band from County Fermanagh. My friend Nicky McAuliffe calls it 'The West Clare', but I'm sure the musicians in West Clare would be pleased with the title I have given it here, just as they would have been delighted with Bríd's playing of it. Catherine McEvoy plays the reel on this track, with her nephew Paddy McEvoy on the piano. The music lives on.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/609 <![CDATA[Bridge at Newtown, The]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:08-07:00

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'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

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/618 <![CDATA[Bridge of Portumna, The]]>
The bridge spanning the Shannon at Portumna always held a fascination for me, particularly when it was raised to let larger boats sail underneath. I loved to swim in the clear waters of the Shannon, and diving from the high bridge of Portumna was always a test of nerves and possibly a way of being a 'show off'. During one of my crazy show-off dives I twisted my back and though I lived to tell the tale, I carry a souvenir of that dive to this day!

I wonder if my good friend, accordionist and composer Martin Mulhaire, ever jumped or swam near the bridge. However, I do know that he composed this grand reel, which is masterfully played here by Liz Carroll on her fiddle.]]>
2016-10-12T08:09:10-07:00

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The town of Portumna in County Galway was a port of call for my father, Mick Connolly, when he worked on the River Shannon. During school holidays I often sailed with my Dad up and down the river and I always looked forward to docking in Portumna after the twenty-five mile trip on Lough Derg.

The bridge spanning the Shannon at Portumna always held a fascination for me, particularly when it was raised to let larger boats sail underneath. I loved to swim in the clear waters of the Shannon, and diving from the high bridge of Portumna was always a test of nerves and possibly a way of being a 'show off'. During one of my crazy show-off dives I twisted my back and though I lived to tell the tale, I carry a souvenir of that dive to this day!

I wonder if my good friend, accordionist and composer Martin Mulhaire, ever jumped or swam near the bridge. However, I do know that he composed this grand reel, which is masterfully played here by Liz Carroll on her fiddle.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/587 <![CDATA[Bridie's Joy]]> 2019-05-10T10:02:21-07:00

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Peadar O'Loughlin's name seems to be eternally present in the world of Irish music. His music brought much joy to the Connolly household when I was growing up in County Clare. It was such a heartwarming pleasure to have him visit the home of Geraldine Cotter the afternoon that he and Geraldine recorded 'Bridie's Joy' for Sandy and me. Years earlier, on an LP record issued by Ceirníní Cladaigh, he and piper Ronan Browne played this same reel. A great tune that's worth hearing again.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/668 <![CDATA[Brosna Reel, The]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:18-07:00

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This reel is another composition of Eamon Flynn, taken from his CD recording with permission. It is named for the village of Brosna in County Kerry, a place well-known for great Irish music and whose name has been given to a number of tunes including 'The Brosna Slide'.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/612 <![CDATA[Carraigín Ruadh]]> A Musical Voyage, with Brendan Tonra, produced by his friend Helen Kisiel. My setting of this reel can be found on a 1989 recording called Here and There, on the Green Linnet label. The tune is played for this collection by Séamus and Manus McGuire.]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:09-07:00

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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 Ceoltóirí Éireann. It may be found in Brendan's own collection, A Musical Voyage, with Brendan Tonra, produced by his friend Helen Kisiel. My setting of this reel can be found on a 1989 recording called Here and There, on the Green Linnet label. The tune is played for this collection by Séamus and Manus McGuire.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/643 <![CDATA[Cathal's Reel]]> 2016-10-12T08:09:13-07:00

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The revered traditional music group The Boys of the Lough performed in Boston in the late 1980s. At a house gathering that same evening, their flutist Cathal McConnell played this tune for me. The tune is performed for us on this track by Catherine McEvoy, who brings to bear her very own masterly interpretation and style.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/632 <![CDATA[Chabonelle]]> 2019-05-10T10:03:31-07:00

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Another fine tune from fiddle player and composer Mrs. Matilda Murdoch from New Brunswick, Canada. Maeve Donnelly from Quin in the County of Clare delightfully performs it on this track with an Irish interpretation. This was exactly what I was hoping to hear, and it also pleased Mrs. Murdoch very much.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

Type

Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
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