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PART ONE: Special with Roscommon fiddler John Carty.

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PART ONE: Special with Roscommon fiddler John Carty

Recent composition remembering a local man, Jack Gunn, who frequented our public house in Scotstown. He lived about two miles down the road from us and my father often left him home in the car from the pub in the evening. Sure enough, Jack would usually arrive back on foot into the pub minutes after my father's own return!

Jack's Guning It

I composed this tune in remembrance of the great accordion player Finbarr Dwyer, one of my favourite musicians across any kind of music. Luckily enough, I had the pleasure of hearing him live a few times, one of those being a brilliant concert in Dolan's Warehouse in Limerick.

He was interviewed that night by Peter Brpwne for " The Rolling Wave" programme on RTE Radio where Peter remarked upon Finbarr's extraodrinary ability of coming up with endless variations for tunes. Finbarr's witty response was that, as a performing musician, it was necessary to do so in order to stay "ahead of the posse you see"!

Ahead Of The Posse

I wrote this reel about a year and a half ago. I was enjoying playing a few tunes written by the great musician and composer, Eddie Kelly, from East Galway and it put in the mood to write something in that vein.

I was playing it last night and a Potts influence seemed to take over. A few wobbles towards the end but sure you'll have that!

Off on a Jaunt

Another tune in E written with the Dwyer family musical and compositional style in mind. No name as of yet

Three Part Reel (Unnamed)

A set of jigs off our new album, Copley Street, available on Bandcamp: https://copleystreet.bandcamp.com/releases

The Gaelic Club, Banks Of Newfoundland, The Lark On The Strand

I wrote this tune a week or two ago. 
Grist is the term for the ground down malt used in the whiskey distillation process. Over the years, "Grist for the Mill" has come to be a metaphor for the ability to use to something to your advantage - the term arising from the usefulness of grist.

Grist for the Mill

Named after two fictitious men living in Co. Monaghan who forged an unbreakable relationship through consuming pints in the local pub. They rented a bank of turf in the bog and shared the load equally. Two mighty men; mad for turf and buying and selling sheep unknownst to themselves! Composed August 2016.

When Gerald Met Fiddler

The first reel was composed by Paddy Cronin and was recorded on A Tribute to Paddy Cronin: Master Irish Fiddler by Tom Dunne. ‘As a Thoiseach’ is a reel commonly played in Cape Breton and can be found in the Simon Fraser Collection (no. 140), which is comprised of tunes collected in the Highlands and Isles of Scotland between 1715 and 1745. Another commonly used title for the tune is ‘Keep it Up’. Fiddle player, Brendan Mulvihill, recorded it as ‘Be Off’ on Dear Old Erin’s Isle: Irish Traditional Music in America in 1992, which is where I heard the tune. The third reel was composed by flute player John Blessing (1913-1993) from near Mohill, Co. Leitrim. It is often associated with accordion player, Charlie Harris.

Paddy Cronin’s Own, As a Taoiseach, John Blessing’s

The first reel in this set was written by the prolific composer and accordionist, Paddy O’Brien (1922-91), from Newtown in Co. Tipperary. I learned it from banjo player, Theresa O’Grady, in one of the many sessions that we have played at the South Sligo Summer School in Tubbercurry, one of my homes-away- from-home. A favourite of Sligo fiddlers, Michael Coleman (1891-1945), and James ‘Lad’ O’Beirne (1911-80), ‘The Flowery Fields of Scotland’ is a reel that I associate with the great Brian Rooney from Kiltyclogher in Co. Leitrim. He recorded it as ‘Brian Rooney’s’ on The Goldfather in 1998, and it appears on the album Within a Mile of Kilty (2005) under the title listed here. ‘The Sailor on the Rock’ is a popular reel that appears as tune #559 in O’Neill’s 1001 or The Dance Music of Ireland (1907) under the curiously enigmatic title of ‘Johnny with the Queer Thing’. Now for you!

Jack Talty - In Flow - 02 - The Bubbling Wine set

Two great tunes composed by legendary Pianist and fiddle player Charlie Lennon. Charlie plays them as Barn dances on the fiddle and Piano acc. on his CD 'Musical Memories'.

Fergus Mc Gorman – Flute
Conor Connolly – Button Accordion
Andrea Palandri – Fiddle
Paddy Mc Evoy – Piano

Reels- Pedalling Patterns (COMP. Charlie Lennon) / Weaving Dreams (COMP. Charlie Lennon)

A three part hornpipe with a minor twist in the final part, aiming to take on some of the qualities and feelings of the older Irish-American / 1920's era style hornpipes.

C modal reel edit

Come What May

House recording, 5th July 2017.
Aidan Connolly: Fiddle
Saileog Ní Cheannabháin: Upright piano (Petrof)
Aidan's album is available here: https://raelachrecords.bandcamp.com/album/be-off
Photo: Muighinis Island, Iorras Aithneach, Connemara, July 2017.
If you'd like to make a donation to support my work, here is a link: www.buymeacoffee.com/saileog
To buy an album: saileog.bandcamp.com/

Duet with Aidan Connolly: The Sailor on the Rock/The Templehouse/Stoney Steps

Performers: Will Oakland and W.H. Thompson
Record Label and Issue Number: U.S. Everlasting 1495
Year: 1912
Collection: Mick Moloney Collection
WIMA ID: MM CYL 00-047

U.S. Everlasting 1495

Where the River Shannon Flows: Will Oakland and W.H. Thompson

Track 5 from "The Bank of Turf" album by Dónal McCague & Tommy Fitzharris. Pre-order by emailing bitsnpieces2011@hotmail.com or tomfitzflute@gmail.com. To hear more samples go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MYMAEUuV0w

Digital Downloads available at https://donalandtommy.bandcamp.com/
“One of my all-time favourites; one I can happily leave on repeat for hours!” - Frankie Gavin, 2018

Ahead Of The Posse

michaelmccague

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