A very common session tune, “The Galway Rambler” was one of the first reel I ever learned. It was my friend Gilles Tabary who taught it to me in Switzerland. I associate this reel with flute player Adrian McMahon from Kilfenora, with whom I have enjoyed many good sessions these past few years, and in particular our Saturday nights in the Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna.
I recorded The Galway Rambler on the YouTube channel, you can watch the video below!
“Farewell To Connaught” is a reel I learned with my friend Gilles Tabary, a flute player from France who has been living in Switzerland for many year. He was visiting during the Russell Memorial Weekend back in 2013 and we took some time to swap a few tunes.
A classic jig here in County Clare, “The Battering Ram” is a tune I learned through various sessions. This jig is very much associated with legendary Clare concertina players such as Elizabeth Crotty, Tommy McMahon, Bernard O’Sullivan, etc.
”The Shoemaker’s Fancy” is a jig that I learned from Yvonne Casey & Terry Bingham at a session in McGann’s Pub. It also features on a great CD called “The Humours of Highgate” by John Blake, Lamond Gillespie & Mick Leahy, which is one of my favourite albums.
