Browse Content (34 total)
Larry Lynch's
This next tune comes from the playing of another fiddle player from County Kerry, the great master Paddy Cronin. When Paddy lived in Boston he always had his fiddle on the dining room table next to one of O'Neill's collections of music. Most every…
Fleadh Down in Ennis, The
In 1956, Robbie McMahon from Spancilhill in County Clare composed this song about the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil held in Ennis that year. When it is sung today, it is a wonderful piece of musical history, as it is also a litany of the names of…
Minnie's Favourite
Here, we hear one of Sean Nugent's many fine compositions, played by his son, Larry. Sean named it for his sister, Minnie.
Longing for Peace, A
Another of Sean Nugent's compositions is the slow air appropriately titled 'A Longing for Peace'. How happy Sean would be were he with us today, to know that the struggle is almost over and we now have peace again in 'Dear Old Ireland'. The tune is…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…