Browse Content (34 total)
Fiddlemaster, The
During one of his short visits to Boston from his native County Donegal, the great gentleman Tommy Peoples took time out of his busy schedule to record this tune for me at The Center for Irish Programs at Boston College. It was a thrill and an honour…
Follies of Youth, The
Another young player who contributed to this project is Sean Gavin from Detroit, son of fiddle player and teacher Mick Gavin from Meelick, County Clare. Here Sean plays the flute on one of his own compositions, a strathspey that somehow must have…
Old Man in the Hob
In this song, the old man sitting by the fireside calls his sons together to relate to them what it was like living and surviving in days gone by: true stories of tough times. Running somewhat parallel with the words of this song are words spoken to…
Lurgy Stream
The beautiful singing voice of All-Ireland Champion Rita Gallagher is once again heard on this track. The words of the song, and the others that she sang for the miscellany, appear courtesy of Rita. Thank you, my friend. More wonderful singing from…
Jack O'Hanley's
Mr. Jack O'Hanley from Boston via Prince Edward Island, Canada, was ninety years of age when he gave me this tune. Jack's command of the fiddle at such an advanced age was simply amazing. I visited his home often and we enjoyed one another's company…
Vanishing Keys, The
Many of my fellow chronic misplacers of keys can relate to the above title. What a great name for a great tune! It is played here in grand style by its composer Richard Dwyer in another excerpt from his solo CD In a Creative Mood. Richie's wonderful…
Around Lough Graney
Who better to perform this tune than Martin Hayes, whose home place in County Clare is close to Lough Graney? This reel was shared back and forth across the Shannon among musicians from counties Galway, Tipperary, and Clare. Martin's treatment of the…
Healy's House
This fine tune comes to us through the courtesy of Richard Dwyer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer from west County Cork, now living in Ennis, County Clare. Richard graciously allowed me to use this excerpt from his solo accordion and…
Check Your Balance
The wonderful young fiddle player Devin Shepherd, from Chicago, composed this tune and gave it to me for this collection. Lovely music, Devin. He gives us the tune's history: 'My idea with this tune was to compose something that sounded truly…
Old Mill Road, The
As I travel throughout the country, I have a compulsive habit of looking at street signs in the hope of discovering a good name or title for a new musical composition. I have seen a few variations on the above title and often wondered what road…
Chabonelle
Another fine tune from fiddle player and composer Mrs. Matilda Murdoch from New Brunswick, Canada. Maeve Donnelly from Quin in the County of Clare delightfully performs it on this track with an Irish interpretation. This was exactly what I was hoping…
Savage Paddy
My nephew Damien Connolly plays his own composition on this track. I asked Damien for information on the tune and its title. He writes: 'I composed this tune on an old fiddle I purchased at an auction. The fiddle itself wasn't great, but it had a…
Reel Bus, The
On this track we hear a lovely reel performed by its composer, Barbara MacDonald Magone. Barbara tells us in her own words below how the tune came to be: 'In the spring of 2005, the San Francisco Fiddle Club (of which I am a member) took a tour of…
Ambrose Moloney's
Joe Burke, my lifelong friend, was leader of The Leitrim Céilí Band, named not for the county of Leitrim, but for a townland in east County Galway. I was honoured to have been a member of that musical group when we won the Senior…
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.
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.
Sarah's Valentine
Eamon Flynn composed this slow jig for his daughter Sarah on Valentine's Day when she was five years old. Sarah asked her dad to 'do a song' for her. What a lovely present to get, one that will remain documented forever. This recording comes to us…
Poke and a Tickle, A
While reflecting on Eric Eid-Reiner's musical compositions, my first thought was that he created 'happy music'. Indeed, as Eric himself described it, this is 'a light-hearted jig with a sense of humour'. Eric kindly arrived at Boston College one…
Old as the Hills
Jack Coen gave me the name for this jig, which can be found as a two-part tune in A major in the O'Neill's 1001 collection. I first heard the tune played by 'The Man of Many Tunes', Larry Gavin. I also heard a version of it performed by Mr. David…
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…