This is a tape converted from the collection of T. Sheridan.

Andy McGann (1928-2004) was a fiddler from New York City. He took early inspiration from Michael Coleman and Lad O'Beirne, two masters of the Sligo style. Available commercially are albums with Joe Burke, Paddy Reynolds, and Brian Conway.

Personally this recording highlights the best of McGann's music -- he is able to utilize extraordinary technical ability to create a vulnerable, kind, thoughtful voice that comes right from the heart. Much of the playing is very reminiscent of Lad O'Beirne especially, where high technical ability is nearly hidden with the use of exceptional phrasing, dynamics, intonation, and chords.
I have heard it said that when McGann passed, many who who attended his funeral remarked that he was their best friend. To my ears this recording does justice to that same person. 

Hope you enjoy.

Andy McGann: Dr. Gilbert's (reel)

Andy McGann: the Lark in the Clear Air (air)

This is a tape converted from the collection of T. Sheridan. Thanks to Billy McComiskey for his permission to post this.

Jimmy Kelly (1936-2001) was born in Boston and learned to play the banjo from John Maloney, who played in the older and local tuning of CGDA (jazz tuning). This tuning was also used by players like Neil Nolan, George Derrane, and Mike Flanagan, but is pretty much extinct in Irish music today. Jimmy also played the fiddle, piano accordion, and was a skilled backer on the piano. He worked making flutes for the Wm. S. Haynes Company and was more than competent playing Irish, Cape Breton, Scottish, and Dixieland music.

Billy McComiskey (born 1951) grew up in Brooklyn and learned to play the accordion from Sean McGlynn. Billy still teaches at the Catskills Irish Arts Week and other festivals and has numerous awards and accomplishments to his name. He can be contacted here: https://www.facebook.com/billy.mccomiskey

Colin Kadis's Recordings

McComiskey & Kelly: the Pride of Sliabh Aughty / Bill Harte's / the Boys of the Town (jigs)

This was recorded but never published. Eamon calls it "At the Gate", a reference to his home in Mountcollins. Thanks to Eamon for his permission to post it here.

Eamon was born in Mountcollins, Co. Limerick, and quickly learned the accordion and fiddle while playing for dances in the area.

After a brief stint in London, Eamon immigrated to Massachusetts, US in 1959, where he played in the New State Ballroom Ceili Band with Paddy Cronin, Mike McHale, Sean McGlynn, and others. He then joined the Connacht Ceili Band with Tommy Sheridan, Martin McDonagh, Brendan Tonra, Jimmy Kelly, Paddy Cronin, Larry Reynolds, and others.

Eamon later moved to Vermont where he was a major influence on Hilari Farrington Koehler and Benedict Koehler among others. He now lives back at home in Mountcollins, where he is "the last of the Flynns".

Eamon Flynn: Nell Davy's (reel)

Paddy Cronin: Pride of Rathmore / Girls of Farranfore (reels)

Paddy Cronin & Frank Neylon: the Butcher's March / Old Man Dillon (jigs)

Paddy Cronin & Frank Neylon: the Connemara Stockings / Woman of the House (reels)

Joe Cooley (1924–1973) was one of the great masters of traditional Irish music on the button accordion. Cooley was born in Peterswell, Galway and began playing accordion as a child tutored by his parents. As he grew older he was regularly employed throughout the west of Ireland and in Dublin, performing arduous labor as was typical of the time. In Dublin he met Sonny Brogan and Johnny Doran and it is likely they influenced his music.

He was later recruited to join the Tulla Ceili Band and a recording of him can be heard on copies of the 1975 album "Cooley" on one of the tracks playing reels including "The Ships are Sailing" and "The Morning Star". Tony MacMahon, who idolized Cooley, picked this individual track because he thought it accurately shared Cooley's massive impact on the band's sound. The Tulla later went on to win multiple All-Ireland Medals and other awards.

In the 1950's Joe left Ireland, first visiting London and then leaving for America. He spent time in Boston (whose Comhaltas branch still bears his name [Reynolds-Hanafin-Cooley]), New York, Chicago, and eventually San Francisco, where he stayed for some time. He was rarely without his musical partner Kevin Keegan during these travels.

In 1973 Joe was severely ill with cancer. He toured and made several recordings for which we have Tony MacMahon and Des Mulkere to thank. Since he has influenced many great accordion players and is still, to my ear, unparalleled among boxplayers in his ability to combine emotion and wildness in his music.

I was given this recording with the hope that it would be shared. This seems like a good medium in which to do so.

Joe Cooley: Cooley's / Up to Your Knees in Sand (reels)

Joe Cooley: (song)

Joe Cooley: Bill Harte's (jig)

Joe Cooley: Miss Lyon's (reel)

Joe Cooley: Daniel O'Connell (jig)

Joe Cooley: the Morning Dew (reel)

Joe Cooley: Speed the Plough (reel)

Joe Cooley: The Teetotaller (reel)

Joe Cooley: the Liffey Banks / the Shaskeen (reels)

Joe Cooley: Strawberry Blossoms (reel)

This recording was made in 1963 in the home of Bridie Lafferty at Homefarm Road in Dublin. At that time Joe Cooley was visiting Ireland from Chicago, and brought along John Lavelle who he had been teaching in America. They joined up with Joe Leary and Ciaran MacMathuna caught them before they left Dublin. 

Several of the tracks in this recording were used to create the "Cooley" LP later published in 1975.

Unfortunately there are only two tracks of John Lavelle on the recording, but they are great tracks of music. It's interesting to hear John's take on Cooley's music -- it's undoubtedly got the same pulse and swing, and yet is so different from Tony MacMahon, despite both being heavily influenced by Cooley. Another neat chance to see how different people develop different personal musical styles regardless of their teaching.

Apparently at the time of this recording John had just been taught the Trip to Durrow by Aggie Whyte. It is said that Cooley had not yet learned it!

There are 3 additional tracks that are part of this recording but have somehow gone missing from my copy of it. If you have them, please do let me know so that I can make it complete -- I think the last couple tracks include duets of Joe and John.

Live on Radio Éireann

Ciaran MacMathuna: Welcomes Joe Cooley Home

Paddy Cronin (6 July 1925 – 15 March 2014) was born in Ré Buí, Gneeveguilla, County Kerry. He was first taught by Padraig O'Keefe and gained significant notoriety as a youngster in the area.
In 1949 he was recorded by Seamus Ennis for Radió Éireann. These recordings are public on the RTE archives.

Shortly after making these recordings, he left Ireland and emigrated to Boston, USA. He lived for a time in New York and Chicago as well but finally settled in West Roxbury with his wife Connie.

During the 1950s, he continued to record, becoming very well known through the 78rpm discs he recorded on Copley records, including several sides with the great North Clare fluter Frank Neylon.

later he recorded several LPs, including: "Music In The Glen", for the Fleetwood label, "The House In The Glen" for Talcon, "The Rakish Paddy" LP with Fiddler Records of Seattle, and in 1977 released "Kerry's Own: Paddy Cronin" with Outlet records of Belfast.

In 2007 Paddy was awarded the prestigious Gradam Ceoil, or Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his contribution to Irish Traditional Music over his life.

These recordings stick out to me personally because they mark a point in Paddy's life when he was extremely influenced by Sligo musicians. Many of the sets below, including the first, were initially recorded by musicians like James Morrison and Michael Coleman. 

It's unbelievable music. Hope you enjoy.

Tommy Sheridan Tape

Paddy Cronin: Jackson's / the Munster (jigs)

Paddy Cronin: the Old Grey Goose (jig)

Paddy Cronin: the Mug of Brown Ale (jig)

Paddy Cronin: Miss Langford's (reel)

Paddy Cronin: Maud Millar (reel)

Paddy Cronin: the Turnpike / Dublin / Miss Thornton's (reels)

Brendan Tonra was a highly respected fiddler and composer of Irish traditional music, known particularly for his contributions to the Boston Irish music scene. Born in Doocastle, County Mayo, Ireland, Tonra was steeped in the rich musical traditions of his homeland from a young age, influenced by family members and local musicians. He began playing music at the age of eight and continued to develop his skills, eventually learning the fiddle, concert flute, and tin whistle.

After immigrating to Boston in 1959, Tonra became an integral part of the city's Irish music community. He played with several prominent bands, including the Tara Ceili Band and the Connacht Ceili Band. Over his lifetime, he composed numerous tunes, some of which have become well-known in traditional Irish music circles, such as "Tonra's Jig" (also known as "Tone Rowes").

Tonra's influence extended beyond his performances; he was also an active member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, teaching and mentoring young musicians in the Boston area. His compositions were recorded by several notable artists, and his body of work was eventually published in the collection A Musical Voyage with Brendan Tonra: Sligo Fiddler and Composer. His contributions were recognized with several honors, including being inducted into the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Northeast Regional Hall of Fame in 2000 and receiving the Cumadóir na Bliana (Composer of the Year) award from TG4, Ireland’s Gaelic-language television station, in 2002.

Tonra passed away in 2014, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the world of traditional Irish music.

Brendan Tonra: Humors of Gorteen / / Ryan of Cloonmore (reels)

Brendan Tonra: Farewell to Kennedy (jig)

Brendan Tonra: Christmas in America (reel)

Brendan Tonra: Brendan Tonra’s (jig)

Brendan Tonra: Carraigín Ruadh (reel)

Brendan Tonra: the Gowlaun (reel)

Patrick O’Keeffe’s jigs from Connie & Denis

Mrs. Ellen Galvin: Delia Crowley’s / The Flowing Bowl (reels)

A recording of Billy Caples (accordion) and Jimmy Kelly (banjo) playing three reels, "The Connemara Stockings", "I Wish I Never Saw You", and "The Woman of the House". Both born and raised in Boston, Caples and Kelly took inspiration from the local styles at the time, predominately the famous button accordion player Joe Derrane and Johnny Maloney, Neil Nolan, and George Derrane on banjo.

Billy Caples and Jimmy Kelly:  Connemara Stockings / I Wish I Never Saw You / The Woman of the House

This is a tape converted from the collection of T. Sheridan.

Raymond Roland (1933-1986) was an accordion player Ballyshea, Craughwell, Co Galway. He was born into an extremely musical family and there are some commercial recordings of his uncle, John Joe Gardiner and his mother Lucy Harrington playing fiddle duets. Both were from Ballymote, Sligo. Raymond's father, JJ, is also said to have played the fiddle.

Raymond grew up surrounded by Galway legends, but it seems that the most influential to his own playing was Joe Cooley. In 1958 Raymond left for London, where he played regularly with Liam Farrell at the White Hart in Fulham. Raymond and Liam were later joined by others for a few LPs under the name "Le Chéile", including Bobby Casey, Danny Meehan, Liam Farrell, PJ Crotty, and Gabriel McKeon.

This tape was recorded by Paddy O'Malley sometime in the late '60s and brought back to Boston then. Paddy was among several other Connemara box players that worked for a few years making bricks in London with Raymond before coming to Boston, including Joe O'Malley, Martin Cloonan, and Frankie McDonagh.

Raymond Roland: The Golden Keyboard / Master Crowley's (reels)

Colin Kadis

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