Browse Content (338 total)
Old Tipperary
A great old jig that I first played with the legendary Clare piper Willie Clancy. It seems appropriate that Padraic Mac Mathúna, son of Ciarán Mac Mathúna, the radio and television presenter, should play it with me for this…
Cloonlish House
'Cloonlish House' was played for me years ago by its composer, Eddie Kelly. This hornpipe is played creatively and wonderfully here by Liz Carroll. Liz's masterful interpretation seems to slowly open the doors of Cloonlish House, inviting all of us…
Brother Gildas / Bryan O'Lynn
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,…
Miss Cathy Chilcott's
The amazing and distinctive fiddle music of Liz Carroll from Chicago is featured on this track. Here, she performs one of her own compositions in the creative playing style which is very much her hallmark. I am honoured that this great player so…
Cruca Glás na hÉireann
The music lives and breathes in the soul of Tara Lynch. Tara, daughter of Jerry Lynch (accordionist in the 1950s with the celebrated three-time All-Ireland champion Kilfenora Céilí Band), was born in New York. She learned her music from…
Rolling Hills of Clare, The
The rolling hills and valleys in east County Clare, close to the river Shannon, are known for their beauty. This area is well-known too for its music. Here Damien once again plays the fiddle on another of his compositions. Yes, as I've said, I am…
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!
John Ryan's (Number Two)
Concertina player John Ryan lived on Thomas Street in Dublin, just opposite the old Pipers' Club. One can only imagine the music echoing up and down the streets of that part of the city! Ciarán Mac Mathúna visited John Ryan's home and…
Stranger, The
Mrs. Crotty from the town of Kilrush in County Clare played this set dance for Ciarán Mac Mathúna's radio programmes, Ceolta Tire and A Job of Journeywork. I had the honour of playing it with Mrs. Crotty in her home many years ago. As I…
Jackson's
Nicky McAuliffe gave me the name for this tune. It may be attributed to the eighteenth-century piper Walker 'Piper' Jackson from County Limerick. This is another of the tunes played for me fifty years ago in Tralee, County Kerry, by Julia Clifford…
Clare Glens, The
If ever you get a chance to visit The Clare Glens you will not be disappointed. They are a beautiful wooded area, very picturesque, with walkways on both sides of the Clare River. The Glens are very close to Newport, County Tipperary, and are only…
Ballykinler Reel
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…
Mhaighdean Mhara, An
All-Ireland champion harpist and singer Pádraigín Caesar attended Boston College as a Fulbright Scholar, and we became great friends. When Sandy and I lived in Groton, Massachusetts, 'Paudi', as we called her, visited us on a number of…
Brendan McCann's
Accordion player Brendan McCann lived near Hartford in the state of Connecticut. He had many fine tunes in his repertoire, including this hornpipe which he first heard in his hometown of Moate, County Westmeath, many years ago. I was thrilled when…
Gráinne Murphy's
The first time that I saw Gráinne Murphy was when her mother and father, Joan and Dan, brought her to a music session in Watertown, Massachusetts. Gráinne did not have a fiddle with her then because she was just a little baby in a…
Maude Miller
Nicky McAuliffe is an expert on the history and names of Irish music, as well as being proficient on many instruments and a noted teacher. Nicky and his wife Ann, herself a teacher and champion on a number of instruments, recorded this version of…
Fleadh at Tulla, The
At a county Fleadh Cheoil in Tulla, County Clare, in the late 1950s, I recorded fiddle player Paddy Canny and accordionist Mattie Ryan playing this tune in a duet competition. Here, Kevin Crawford joins me in playing this single jig.
Thirteen Arches
A thirteen-arched bridge spans the majestic River Shannon as it flows through my hometown of Killaloe, County Clare. On the opposite side of the bridge is Ballina, County Tipperary. As a child I had fun saying, 'I can stand in Killaloe and Ballina at…
Varney House
The unique musical heritage of County Kerry has had a profound impact on the survival of traditional music. Paddy Cronin from Sliabh Luachra gave the above title to a reel more commonly known as 'Miss Johnson's'. It is played here by uilleann piper…
Freddy Kimmel's
As the howling winds from the Atlantic Ocean blew into Kinvara Harbour, Máire O'Keeffe continued to play her fiddle into the night without interruption (see 'Maurice O'Keeffe's'). The tune that she plays here was learned from the playing of…