Browse Content (34 total)
Gentle Mother
During those trips Mulhaire's Céilí Band made to Lixnaw and other towns in County Kerry in the 1960s (see 'Tart ar an Ól'), ballad singer Josephine McNamara was another artist who made the long journey – in her case from…
Tom Turkington's in C Major
I met Tom Turkington, a fiddle player from Cookstown, County Tyrone, only once. It was at the beginning of the 1960s at a County Clare Fleadh Cheoil, when he performed at a celebrity concert with his son David on the piano. Musicians love talking…
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…
Kathleen Lawrie's
Kathleen Lawrie, Bobbie's sister, recorded this reel for me when she visited me in Limerick in the early '70s. When Kathleen and her husband Tommy Boyle visited Sandy and me in Maine just a few years ago, I played the tune for her on the fiddle and…
Magherafelt May Fair
The Pride of Erin Céilí Band, led by All-Ireland fiddle champion Sean Nugent, was held in high esteem throughout Ireland. Sean, from Lack in County Fermanagh, was a vibrant, energetic, and fun-loving man who adored the music. On a…
Fiddler Around the Faerie Tree, The
On the aforementioned occasion some forty years ago, Kathleen Lawrie played 'The Fiddler Around the Faerie Tree' for me as a set dance. Kathleen had learned the tune from dancing master Brendan de Glin from Derry. A shorter version of this tune may…
Larry Redican's in F Major
I am delighted to feature the fiddle playing of composer Larry Redican, who lived in New York City. This music comes to us from a recording he made for his friend Roger Casey, an Irish dancer from New York. Both of these gentleman would get together…
Keith Corrigan's
I learned this tune from accordionist Keith Corrigan. Keith had a wonderful repertoire of fine old Irish and Québecois tunes. On one memorable visit to his home in Valcartier, north of Québec City ('God's Country', as he called it), we…
Jimmy Hogan's (Number One)
Jimmy Hogan from Liscannor in County Clare loved to play his whistle and batter out the County Clare set dances on the floor. Jimmy was an icon in Boston and he was loved by everyone who met him. This tune from north County Clare was one of his…
Old Wheels of the World (Larry Redican's version)
'The Wheels of the World' is known to musicians as the title of both a reel and a jig. The two tunes are not related musically, and both are unrelated to the tune presented here. I learned 'The Old Wheels of the World' from pianist Eleanor Kane Neary…
John Egan's
John Egan from County Sligo lived in Dublin, and he had a distinctive West of Ireland style of playing the flute. He and his musical colleagues formed a music club in that city, made up mostly of fiddle and flute players. John Egan's repertoire was…
Victor's Return, The
I recorded this tune with another nephew, Karl Connolly, playing piano, on the same day as Kevin Crawford's unfortunate experience. I first heard the tune in the 1950s played by the Tulla Céilí Band from County Clare. A version of this…
Any Auld Thing At All
My brother Martin learned this version of 'The Victor's Return' from fiddle player Johnny Cronin from County Kerry. When Martin asked Johnny for the tune's title, Johnny told Martin to call it 'any auld thing at all'! Martin was reluctant to play the…
John Doherty's
I loved the times that I visited with John Doherty, the fiddle master from County Donegal. Playing music with him was an inspiration. Hearing his stories and listening to him play made me ask myself why I even bothered to play the fiddle. Mr. Doherty…
Scolding Wife, The
The royal welcome Sandy and I received when we visited the home of Geraldine Cotter outside Ennis, with the turf fire burning, really made us picture ourselves one day moving back to Ireland. As we set up our recording equipment, we happened to…
Tom Turkington's in A Major
Here is another tune from the playing of Tom Turkington of County Tyrone. I searched for its name, and I asked a number of reliable sources for a title, but I have come up empty-handed. So, what better name than 'Tom Turkington's in A Major'? Tom's…
Hairpin Bend, The
This tune is named for a winding part of the road leading into Lisdoonvarna, County Clare. Try pedalling a bicycle up or down those hills! This single jig was very popular with The Kilfenora Céilí Band during my tenure with them. It is…
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…
Maurice O'Keeffe's
I will be forever grateful to Máire O'Keeffe, the County Kerry-style fiddle player, for her enthusiastic response when I told her about the project I was about to undertake. Máire's reaction was loud and clear: she said to me, 'Come on…
Ned and Dan O'Connor
Another tune from the playing of Máire O'Keeffe. Ned and Dan O'Connor, two musicians from the Scartaglen area of Sliabh Luachra, were often heard playing this slide.