Browse Content (88 total)
- Collection: Jigs
Johnny's 21st Birthday
Dr. Tomás Ó Canainn wrote this tune and recorded it with his daughter Nuala to honour and celebrate the twenty-first birthday of their musical friend Johnny McCarthy. Their recording was named Béal na Trá and was issued in 1982 on the Outlet label.…
Johnson State Jig, The
Another tune that Eric Eid-Reiner played for me during that early morning recording session in Gasson Hall on the Boston College campus. Eric told me that he wrote the jig after listening to a lively session at Johnson State College in Vermont. The…
Joy of My LIfe
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…
Keith Corrigan's
Keith Corrigan played melodeon and had some grand old tunes including this jig. It is another of the tunes that he played for me at his home in Québec. It is played on this track by Damien, my nephew.
Key in the Kiln, The
Monsignor Charles Coen recorded the jig on this track. In his own words, Father Charlie tells us what he knows about the tune: 'This tune "The Key in the Cill" or "The Key in the Kiln" was popular in Woodford when I was growing up. It was a great…
Lagan River, The
David Curry's broadcasts from the BBC studios in Belfast were eagerly awaited in my home. He broadcast many fine tunes, including this one, which Nicole Rabata and I arranged for flute and fiddle. Not having the tune's original title, I have named it…
Lame Crowley
I knew that Billy McComiskey, Laura Byrne, and Donna Long, with their superlative musicianship, would be the right people to play this tune. I learned it many years ago from my long-time friend Mr. Larry Gavin. Billy was curious as to where the jig…
Larry Redican's
Kevin Burke learned this tune from a tape of Larry Redican which I sent to him, one of a number of tapes given to me by dancing master Mr. Roger Casey. Kevin plays this jig in his own lonesome and swinging style.
Larry's Strange Jig
Ted McGraw has an amazing collection of music in his library. He sent me this recording of Larry Redican and suggested that it was 'a strange jig'. Ted doesn't know where the recording took place, and he has little or no information about the tune.…
Laurel Martin's Jig
My musical colleague and friend Laurel Martin made this lovely tune. Laurel did not think highly of her composition, nor did she think it good enough for this collection. Laurel, I love your jig, as do many others who have heard it. Thanks for…
Liam Rowsome's
The name Rowsome is ubiquitous in the world of Irish music. Down through the years I have had the honour of playing music with the piping master Leo Rowsome and with his children, Leon, Liam, and Helena. Fiddle player Liam Rowsome composed this tune…
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…
Lough Key
A lovely slip jig played here for us by its composer, master fiddle player Larry Redican. Lough Key in County Roscommon is one of the beautiful lakes in Ireland famous for its fishing.
Magpie in the Tree
And now to confuse things even more or, as they say at home in Ireland, 'to throw more turf on the fire', my brother Martin Connolly here plays 'Magpie in the Tree', which is yet another version of the classic jig 'Bryan O'Lynn'. Martin, a great…
Man from Clare, The
This tune, played by Damien Connolly on fiddle this time, is one of his own compositions. I'm not sure who the title refers to, but since he was born in County Clare, maybe it's himself!
Marg's Jig
Maeve Donnelly plays a composition of master composer Mrs. Matilda Murdoch, the queen of New Brunswick fiddle playing. Matilda has numerous compositions to her credit and she takes great pleasure in passing the tunes along to musicians eager to learn…
Mordaunt's Fancy
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',…
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…
Mug of Black Tea
Growing up in Ireland, and while practicing my fiddle in the home of my grandmother, Elizabeth Collins (née Rochford), I drank many's the mug of black tea. I remember her tea being very strong and having to drink it without milk. I questioned…
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…