“Around The Fairy Fort” is a barndance composed by Vincent Broderick. I picked it up at a session in McCarthy’s of Coore during Willie Clancy Week 2014, from my friend Samuel König, a great fiddle player from Switzerland. It is usually followed by an other barndance from Vincent Broderick called “The New Broom”, which I also learned at that session.
“The Earl of Thomond” is a barndance composed by Charlie Lennon. He wrote this tune for Tony O’Connell, concertina player from Limerick, who recorded a lovely album with Ben Lennon (Charlie’s brother) called “Rossinver Braes”.
I learned this lovely barndance, “If There Weren’t Any Women In The World”, from a session with Terry Bingham, Yvonne Casey and Stéphane Germain at Fitzpatrick’s Pub back in 2012. I have played it with Terry on other occasions since and he likes to play it after a hornpipe called “Caisleán an Óir”.
I learned the “Jimmy Duffy’s Barndances” from my friend Stéphane Germain, and I believe he learned himself when he used to live in County Leitrim. This set of Barndance is one of our favourites, which we enjoy playing on the Sunday afternoon session at Gus O’Connor’s Pub.
This is the second tune of the “Jimmy Duffy’s Barndances”, which I learned from my friend, flute player Stéphane Germain. He actually enjoys playing these two barndances on the accordion, and it is one of our favourite sets to play at our Sunday afternoon session at Gus O’Connor’s Pub.
I learned The Kilnamona Barndance from the playing of Gerdie Commane, in a video published by Custy’s Music Shop on their website a good few years back. John Williams, a great accordion and concertina player from Chicago who spent a lot of time in Doolin, also recorded this tune on one of the first albums of the band Solas.
Lord Leitrim is a barndance written by the great composer Charlie Lennon for his brother Ben Lennon, who sadly passed away in 2020. I learned this tune from Tony O’Connell at the Concertina Cruinniu in Miltown Malbay back in 2014. Tony recorded this barndance with Ben Lennon himself on their great album Rossinver Braes.
This is Micho Russell’s version of the famous march “The Battle of Aughrim”. It is not very different from the common version but I love Micho’s phrasing of the tune and thought I’d post his way of playing it.
“The Green Cottage” is a polka I learned from Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich & Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh’s album “A Moment of Madness”.
“Johnny Leary’s Polka” is a tune I learned from Terry Bingham at a workshop during the Russell Memorial Weekend back in 2013.
I learned this polka from the playing of Brendan Begley & Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. It is the opening track, “Dhá Pholca Dálaigh” on their great album “A Moment of Madness”.
“Terry Teehan’s” is a polka associated with Terry “Cuz” Teehan, one of Sliabh Luachra’s great musicians who actually spent most of his adult life in Chicago. This tune is also called “The Newmarket Polka” sometimes, or at lease it past of the famous “Newmarket Polkas” set recorded by Jackie Daly
“The De’il Among The Tailors” is a setdance I learned from one of Doolin’s legends, concertina player Packie Russell. This being said, I actually first heard this tune on Hugh Healy & Blackie O’Connell’s album “We were drinking and kissing the ladies”. They mention Packie Russell as their source and so I learned it from the album “The Russell Family” as well.
I don’t remember where I got this slide, “An Chóisir”, exactly, but I think it was during one of my visit to Dingle in West Kerry.
Séamus Begley & Steve Cooney play a great version of that tune on their legendary album “Meitheal”.
I learned this slide from Eugene Lambe, a great piper and whistle player who did a huge amount of work recording the older musicians of North Clare back in the early 90s. Eugene himself learned “The Back of the Haggard” from the playing of Micho Russell.
I first heard this tune on John Williams’ first album, on which he calls it “The Tidy Woman” and plays it more like a jig. It is more common as a slide though, under the name “Behind The Bush In The Garden”. I learned if from the Doon Ceili Band.
A great slide that I first heard from my friends Tom Delany and Caroline Keane with their band FourWinds. Shortly after they recorded it, I went down to Dingle and got Brendan Begley’s very first album (a gem) and also Jackie Daly & Matt Cranitch’s latest album, and “Con Carthy’s Favourite” featured on both CDs, so I figured I had to learn it !
I learned this “Con Cassidy’s Slide” from the playing of Derek Hickey & Liam Flanagan. They recorded it on the fantastic compilation album from the Corofin Trad Festival “Teach Cheoil”.
I learned this well-known Slide from Eugene Lambe, a great piper and whistle player who did a huge amount of work recording the older musicians of North Clare back in the early 90s. Eugene himself learned “The Fanore Slide” from the playing of Micho Russell.The tune is most often referred
I learned “If I Had a Wife” from the great concertina duet album “Na Fir Bolg” by Jack Talty and Cormac Begley. They play if after another great slide called, “Paddy Cronin’s”. This album was released back in 2011 and nearly ten years later it is still one of my favourite albums.
“Johnny Boyle’s” is a slide I learned from the playing of Derek Hickey and Liam Flanagan, on the compilation album from the Corofin Trad Festival. Apart from being an amazing accordion player, Derek is a real gentleman and it is always such a treat to see and hear him at festivals.
“The Kilcummin” is a tune I learned from a session in McGann’s Pub with Yvonne Casey and Terry Bingham. They played it as a jig, but I think it is also played as a slide.
“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.
This strathspey comes from the playing of Altan, they recorded it on their first album. I remember hearing this tune at a great session down in Miltown Malbay during the Willie Clancy Summer School.
I learned “Hug The Bundle” from uilleann piper Brian McNamara. He recorded this strathspey on his album “Fort of the Jewels”, which is one of my favourite piping albums. This tune has no connection with Doolin though and I never heard it anywhere. Still love it though!
I first heard “Little John’s Hame” played by Dermot Byrne and James Cullinan at an amazing concert at the Corofin Traditional Festival back in 2013. This strathspey really stuck in my head the the following day I learned it from a video I found of Dermot Byrne playing with Tommy Peoples.
I learned this beautiful waltz from Eugene Lambe, a great piper and whistle player who did a huge amount of work recording the older musicians of North Clare back in the early 90s. Eugene learned “The Trip We Took Over The Mountain” from the playing of Micho Russell.
“John Kelly’s Concertina Reel” is great tune that I got from Denis Liddy at a session in McCarthy’s of Coore during the Willie Clancy Week back in 2014. I was familiar with this reel, associate with John Kelly Senior, through Tim Collins & Brian McNamara’s wonderful album “Reed Only”, and my good friend Tom Delany recorded it with concertina player Caroline Keane on their album “Never Say Good Bye, Say Good Luck” as well.
This is a version of the well-known jig Apples in Winter (standard setting here). I got it from Jack Talty and Aine Bird on the album “Tunes In The Church”, and it comes from the playing of Tom Carey and Solus Lillis I believe.
“The Glen Road To Carrick” is a great reel from Donegal which I learned from the playing of James Cullinan and Dermot Byrne. They played an amazing concert at the Corofin Trad Fest back in 2013, and I learned this tune afterwards. They actually recorded it a good few years ago (1987!) for a TG4 program (see the video).
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