Browse Content (338 total)
Carraigín Ruadh
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…
Canyon Jig
David Reiner has published a number of fiddle books, including Anthology of Fiddle Tunes (Mel Bay). According to Dave, this tune came together in his head while he was hiking with his parents and brother in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. After he…
Buddy MacMaster's
Cape Breton fiddle legend Mr. Buddy MacMaster gave this tune to our mutual friend, piano player Barbara MacDonald Magone. Barbara graciously passed it along to me when she recorded it for this collection in Portland, Maine, almost ten years ago.
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,…
Brosna Reel, The
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…
Bridie's Joy
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…
Bridge of Portumna, The
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…
Bridge at Newtown, The
'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…
Bríd Donnelly's
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…
Brian O'Kane's
I have a tape of a wonderful evening of music in the home of the Gavin family of Balbriggan, County Dublin, which includes this hornpipe played by Jimmy Keane from Chicago. I wanted to include the tune in this collection, so I phoned Jimmy to ask…
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…
Brave Irish Boys, The
Irish céilí dancing was very popular in the late 1950s and early '60s, and dancers loved the idea of dancing to the music of different bands. In the late 1950s I was invited to join The Ormond Star Céilí Band, one of a…
Bottle of Cop-On, A
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…
Bonnie Lass of Headlake, The
I first heard this tune played as a hornpipe by Paddy O'Brien with The Lough Gowna Céilí Band in the early 1960s. In fact, the tune was originally composed as a four-part march by Gordon MacQuarrie of Cape Breton. MacQuarrie, a noted…
Bobby Gardiner's (Number Two)
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…
Bobby Gardiner's (Number One)
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…
Bobbie Lawrie's
Roberta (Bobbie) Lawrie comes from the musical Lawrie family from Birmingham, England. On one occasion when I was visiting her home, Bobbie recorded some of her compositions for me. At that time, nobody in her household knew that she was composing…
Boat to Bofin, The
Joanie Madden of Cherish the Ladies fame composed this happy jig. In her own words Joanie tells us of her inspiration: 'I was inspired to write this tune after a very rocky ferry ride to the beautiful island of Inishbofin off the coast of Connemara…
Blue-Eyed Rascal, The
A tune not often heard is this set dance. I am grateful to Mr. Larry Redican Jr. for giving me permission to present his father's performance of it in this collection. I have fond memories of Larry Sr. playing it for me in my home when I lived in…
Blue Ribbon Polka, The
Another tune popular in Boston during the days of the Dudley Street dance halls was this polka. It is played here on uilleann pipes by Jerry O'Sullivan from New York.