“Bó Mhín Na Toitean” is a strathspey I learned a long time ago when I was still in Switzerland. It comes from the playing of the great Donegal band Altan.
X:1
T:Bo Mhin Na Toitean
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:Strathspey
K:Ador
|:A2 e2 e2 dB|d2 ef ge a2|A2 e2 e2 dB|eg ed BA GB|
A2 e2 e2 dB|d2 ef ge a2|eg ed e/f/g ed|B2 AG A2 BG:||
|:A2 a2 a2 ge|d2 ef ge a2|A2 a2 a2 ge|dg ed BA GB|
A2 a2 a2 ge|d2 ef ge a2|eg ed e/f/g ed|B2 AG A2 BG:||
“Stone of Destiny” is a beautiful reel composed by fiddle player Maurice Lennon (son of the great Ben Lennon from Leitrim, and nephew of the famous composer Charlie Lennon). I learned this tune from my friend JB, a great fiddle player from Britanny. Liam O’Brien, a wonderful concertina player from Miltown Malbay, recorded this tune on his album “The Lane”.
I learned “Dever The Dancer” from Lorraine Hickey and Kevin Rowsome, who recorded this lovely slip jig on one of the Irish Folk Festival’s compilation CDs. I used to listen to these albums quite a lot when I was working in Magnetic Music Café, which my very first job in Doolin back in 2006. I actually met Kevin Rowsome at the Russell Memorial Weekend in 2020, a true gentleman a wonderful piper.
I got “The Cavan Reel” at a session with Terry Bingham & Yvonne Casey at McGann’s Pub. Mary MacNamara also recorded it on her album “Blackberry Blossom”, and it is known as Mike Flannagan’s as well.
