Browse Content (29 total)
Young When He's Dancing
This tune was composed by Chicago fiddle player Devin Shepherd. He plays it here with his friend Sean Gavin on flute. Devin named the tune for Mike Doyle from County Wexford, who now lives in Chicago. Mike is an avid enthusiast of the music and can…
What Care I for the Minister?
This slip jig from the Scottish tradition was taught to me by Boston harpist Kathleen Guilday. I told her about this project and asked her if she would record it for me. Kathleen was delighted, and graciously agreed to come to Maine to do the…
Sitting in the Window
When my wife Chrysandra worked in Washington, DC, we lived across the Potomac in Alexandria, Virginia. During the summer months while she was working I would play my fiddle all day. I wish I had that same energy now! The tune that I play on this…
Roger Casey's Reel
One of the most gratifying experiences for any musician is to have the opportunity to play for good dancers. Roger Casey from New York, now an Irish stepdancing adjudicator, was an excellent competitive dancer. When he practiced for competitions back…
Road to Durham, The
Cathal McConnell, 'The Great One', gave me this tune, and he also gave it the above title. Recently, I discovered that the other 'Great One', Liz Carroll, had recorded her rendition of the tune on her long-playing record A Friend Indeed. Liz informed…
Port an Deoraí
This lovely and unusual slip jig is played here by Geraldine Cotter. It may also be found in her collection of fifty traditional Irish tunes called Rogha, Geraldine Cotter's Choice.
Parting Glass, The / The Peacock's Feather
The majestic vocals of the one and only Len Graham bring us near the end of this collaborative collection as he sings 'The Parting Glass'. His is an old County Antrim setting of the song, one that he and Joe Holmes sang together in the Guild Hall,…
Paddy Cronin's Reel
Paddy Cronin was always very eager to learn new tunes. Paddy loved 'going through the books' with his fiddle in hand. He had a vast store of old tunes and an amazing repertoire, including this reel, played here for us by the lovely ladies of music,…
One-Horned Buck, The
Another tune from the legendary Cathal McConnell. He gave me this tune, and the others in this collection, during that visit to Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, over thirty years ago (see 'Cathal's Reel').
Old Times
I found an old brown manuscript page and remembered that my former sister-in-law Maureen Glynn had given it to me. Maureen grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She was a talented lady and widely respected in the Irish music and dance world. Maureen was a…
Old Blackbird, The
Looking back in time, one of my special memories of working on this project was the visit I made to Finbarr Dwyer. As I was setting up my recording machine he was playing this, his very own version of 'The Old Blackbird'. I have always loved this…
New Road to Sligo, The
David Reiner composed 'The New Road to Sligo'. It is played for us by Liz Carroll. David told me that he composed this tune 'to tell the story of a musical road trip, from the bold beginning in G minor, to the detour into B flat, to the simpler and…
Moate Reel, The
The town of Moate is in County Westmeath. It has a strong musical tradition and at one time had a famous céilí band that made a number of 78 RPM recordings. The late accordionist Brendan McCann, who lived in Connecticut, grew up near…
Memories of East Clare
The tune on this track was composed by my nephew Damien Connolly. When I asked Damien what memories this tune's title referred to, he immediately said, 'Well, I grew up listening to a blend of Clare, Sligo, and Kerry fiddling. This is a tune that…
Lament for Mick Mackey
Poet Críostóir Mac Gearailt penned the words of this song in tribute to one of Ireland's greatest sportsmen, the mighty Mick Mackey from Ahane, County Limerick. Mick Mackey played hurling for his native county in the 1930s and '40s, and…
Lagan River, The
David Curry's broadcasts from the BBC studios in Belfast were eagerly awaited in my home. He broadcast many fine tunes, including this one, which Nicole Rabata and I arranged for flute and fiddle. Not having the tune's original title, I have named it…
Ladies of Leinster, The
I first heard this reel played by the man who influenced many musicians of my generation, the great Seán Maguire. Seán had a happy knack of transposing tunes to different keys than those that might have been originally documented. The…
Fourpenny Bit, The
Another tune that Larry Gavin sent to me is this reel. Larry found it in 'The Bible' of Irish music, the O'Neill's 1001 collection of tunes. It is played here for us by the great Catherine McEvoy with accompaniment by her nephew, Paddy McEvoy, on…
For Denis Moynihan
Dancing master Denis Moynihan, as he was known before he officially changed his name to its Irish version, Donncha Ó Muineacháin, was a popular teacher of Irish dance. He was known throughout Ireland for his choreography and repertoire…
Flynn's Reel
This is the first tune that Eamon Flynn composed over forty years ago. He plays it for us on accordion with our mutual friend, Miss Helen Kisiel, on piano. The tune may also be heard on Eamon's CD recording Down by the Glenside.