“I Will if I Can” is a jig that I associate with the village of Kilfenora, and fiddle James Devitt in particular. I learned it through various sessions in North Clare and it is quite a popular tune in the area.
This is a great common session tune! I learned “Devaney’s Goat” (or Devanny’s Goat) through various sessions, but I associate it with the playing of Christy Barry. In the sleeve notes of John Carty’s album’s “Last Night’s Fun”, it says that, according to flute player Jack Coen, this reel was composed by Tommy Whelan, a flute player with the Ballinakill Ceili Band, who named the tune for a neighbor’s animal.
“Gerry’s Beaver Hat” is a common jig. I learned it from the playing of Cathy Custy, who recorded it on her lovely CD “An Ceoltoir Fanach”.
“Black Pat’s” is a composition of Tommy Peoples’. He wrote and recorded the tune in F, but this version in G comes from the playing of his daughter Síobhan Peoples, on her duet album “Time on our Hands” with accordion player Murty Ryan.
