Hornpipes (Trad)

13 Planxty Davis

78rpm Disc: Jerry O'Brien: Gypsy Hornpipe

Accordion player Jerry O'Brien recorded this version of the Gypsy hornpipe for the O'Byrne De Witt label (9-101), which was later re-released on the Copley label. O'Brien, originally from Kinsale, arrived in Boston in the early 1920s and recorded with O'Leary's Irish Minstrels. John Connors provides piano accompaniment on this recording.

From the Ted McGraw Collection, McGraw 78 03-276.

McGraw 78 03-276

Jerry O'Brien: Gypsy Hornpipe

Connla are an exciting new band with strong traditional roots and an impressive line-up of young, talented musicians. This is our track called The Drunken Piper. Enjoy!

The Drunken Piper

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

Paddy Keenan

The Swallow's Tail

The Turning Tide

The Crows of Killimer / Box Reel #2 / Boys of Malin / The Opera House

The opening track from the new album, A Glint o' Scottish Fiddle.
A great selection of traditional tunes, all of which can be found in the Athole Collection.

We open with a beautiful strathspey called Strathearn and continue with 4 fabulous reels - enjoy!

Strathearn
Gin I Had a Bonnie Lassie
The Scolding Wives of Abertarff
The Old Man Will Never Die
The Lads of Foss

Strathearn Medley

Michael McGoldrick - 03 - The Hillsbrook reels

Willie Clancy at Friel's bar, Miltown Malbay, February 1972.
From John Knight's Collection, Tape_063

...

I've been working today to restore this old cassette tape recording of Willie Clancy made at Friel's Bar (now Lynch's) in Miltown Malbay back in the 70's. I'm really pleased with the way it's sounding now!

I inherited John's entire collection of tapes, which he made in folk clubs, singarounds and sessions throughout the British Isles back in the day. He left us about 400 of them! They've been sat in a box untouched since he died in the early 80's, but as of about November last year it has become our project to recover his life's work and make it freely available to those of whom it might be of interest.

There is what seems to be an endless stream of gems amongst this collection and the quality is usually quite incredible given the age of the tapes. The cassettes are often degraded to the point they won't play properly, but the tapes themselves are sound so I've been transferring them into new cassette bodies to get the best out the recordings. Most of the recordings are seriously flat and contain a lot of background noise. If someone planted a pint glass on the table next to the recorder the volume spike is several times louder than the music itself! Clapping is always very raucus, etc. So, as part of the recovery process I perform some basic mastering to tidy things up and I re-tune if needed. This recording was out by a whole key!

It's lovely to now hear this set the way it sounded and to be a fly on the wall in that pub. Enjoy!

John Knight's Tapes, Tape_063

Willie Clancy - Recorded by John Knight at Friel's, Miltown Malbay (February 1972)

Lúnasa with the Rté Concert Orchestra

Leckan Mor

Established in 1992, the Ward Irish Music Archives houses the largest public collection of Irish music in America. It is named after John J. Ward Jr., father of Irish Fest founder Ed Ward. The archive currently consists of more than 40,000 Irish music recordings and pieces of memorabilia ranging from rare 78 rpm's, LP's and sheet music to song books, instruments, and concert memorabilia. Many of the archives items are extremely difficult to find today, and our diverse collections focus on subjects such as Irish traditional music, Irish folk songs, Scottish music, and Irish contributions to American popular music.

Jerry O'Brien: Gypsy Hornpipe

Ward Irish Music Archives

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