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Fort
of the Jewels by Brian McNamara
Behind The
Tracks 1. Jigs:
Paddy from Portlaw / Handsome Young Maidens / I love you not and I care
not
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara, except ‘Handsome Young Maidens’
composed by Charlie Lennon). The
selection of the first two jigs here was motivated by their strong Leitrim connections.
I first learned Paddy from Portlaw after
hearing it from fellow Leitrim musician Brian Rooney on his wonderful recording
‘The Godfather’. A transcription of the tune may be
found in Francis O’Neill’s 1001 & 1850 collections. Maintaining
the Leitrim theme in this selection, this second tune Handsome Young Maidens is a contemporary composition of the renowned
composer and musician Charlie Lennon from Rossinver. My acquaintance with the
music of the Lennon family extends back to my formative musical years when my
brother Ray and I would often accompany our father, Michael on expeditions to
Kiltyclogher and Rossinver to meet up with the Lennon family.
I have always been captivated by the charm of this tune written in A-major
and intrigued by the challenge it offers. I learned to play it many years back
with my brothers and sister. It appears in Charlie’s publication, ‘Musical
Memories’ Vol.1, 1993, Worldmusic Pub. Originally written as part of Charlie’s
‘Island Wedding’ production, this tune refers to the bridesmaids on
a wedding day. I
have heard versions of this final tune I
love you not and I care not on a number of recordings including ‘The
Humours of Lisheen’ by John and Julia Clifford on the Topic label in 1977,
Fisherstreet’s ‘Out in the Night’(1991)
and more recently by Maeve Donnelly and Peter O’Loughlin on Maeve’s
solo recording in 2002. I fell in love with the beauty of this tune when I heard
it played by Maeve and Peter. A tune known by many titles, it can be found in
O’Neill’s ‘Waifs and Strays’ collection under the title
‘I found my love in the morning’, and in Kerr’s Melodies as
‘I lost my love’. A variant also appears in the Goodman collection
as ‘The Humours of Tralee’. Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched in ‘D’),
Gráinne (Harp). 2.
Hop Jigs: Top the Candle /
Do it Fair
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara)
I
learned these Hop jigs from the playing of the late Pat and Frank Reilly of Drumreilly,
a neighbouring parish to my home parish of Aughavas. The extended Reilly family
were noted fiddle players in the region and the custodians of a great local repertoire.
Pat, a fiddle player like his bothers Michael and Hughie were sons of Terry and
cousins of Frank. Terry and his neighbour Alex Sutherland became local fiddle
masters having learned from Peter Kennedy, another fiddle master in the adjoining
parish of Ballinamore. When listening to a 1963 reel-to-reel recording made by
my father in the Reilly’s home I stumbled on these fascinating tunes. The
first of them is transcribed in O’Neill’s 1001 and 1850 publications,
where it is attributed to James Kennedy. James was a son of Peter Kennedy and
along with his sister Ellen emigrated to the USA bringing much of their
father’s repertoire with them to Chicago. O’Neill’s
publications thus feature many references to the Kennedys. The
second tune Do it Fair is introduced
on the reel-to-reel recording by Frank Reilly as “another one of Kennedy’s”.
To date I have not been able to find a transcription of this tune in any of the
major publications though it appears in the local Sutherland manuscript and in
the personal collections of the Reilly family. Two tunes in Canon James Goodman’s
collection bear some resemblance, i.e. ‘The Surround’ where the second
part is strikingly similar, and the imaginatively named tune ‘The rogue
is mad to be at her’. Other
tunes which would appear to be in the same ‘family’ include ‘Hunting
the Hare’, in O’Neill’s 1001 and 1850 publications which is
the same tune as ‘The Whigsborough Hunt’ in Levey’s collection.
A Northumbrian tune entitled ‘Little
Fishie’ also has a very similar second part. Whatever the origin of the
version featured here, it certainly is a splendid melody! Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched in ‘D’),
Gráinne (Harp). 3.
Reels: Captain Locker / Gladstone’s
Bill
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara) This first tune, Captain Locker, is another of the tunes learned from the playing
of the Reilly family of Drumreilly. The only known transcription of this tune
appears to be in the unpublished Grier Manuscript. Pat Reilly played this tune
in the Key of C and an attempt has been made here to retain the ‘mood’
of the tune by playing it on the ‘flat’ pipes pitched in the Key of
C. Gladstone’s Bill was also taken in part
from the above mentioned Grier collection where it appears as a two part tune.
Another two-part version of this tune was found in the unpublished and now seemingly
lost manuscript of Larry Smyth (Abbeylaragh, Co. Longford), which had a common
first part to that featured in Grier’s manuscript but with an alternative
second part. Larry had inherited the collection from his father Seán. The
rendition on this recording attempts to preserve both versions by conflating the
versions into a three part version. The Grier version can also be found in the
local Sutherland collection. Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched in ‘C’). 4
Air: Dún na Séad
(Fort of the Jewels) (Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara) Dún na Séad (Fort of the Jewels) is an air I learned from the singing of Nollaig
Casey who had in turn learned it from her father Seán Ó Cathasaigh.
Nollaig recorded the song on ‘Causeway’ in 1995 with Arty McGlynn.
Also know as ‘Cois abhainn na
Séad’ or ‘By the River of Gems’, Dún na Séad is the original
Irish name for the beautiful village of Baltimore in West Cork. Once the principal stronghold
of the O’Driscolls, the Lords of Corca Laighe, the song describes the beauty
of Dún na Séad and remembers with sorrow a past love. A version
of this air was also collected and recorded by Séamus Ennis and it is regarded
as one of the great airs in the tradition. Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched
in ‘C’). 5.
Reels: Patsy Touhey’s Favourite / Fr.
O’Grady’s Visit to Bocca
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara, except ‘Fr. O’Grady’s visit
to Bocca’ composed by Josie McDermott) Collected
by O’Neill, this first tune is accredited to the celebrated piper Patsy
Touhey (1865-1923). It has been printed
in three of O’Neill’s publications; ‘Music of Ireland 1850 Melodies’,
‘Dance Music of Ireland - 1001 tunes’ and ‘Waifs and Strays
of Gaelic Melody’. According to O’Neill, this later version was special
having been taken from Touhey’s personal transcription. Born in County Galway though reared in the USA from a very early age,
Touhey became one the greatest exponents of his chosen instrument and one of the
most successful Irish-American musicians of his generation. His career coincided
with the birth of the recording era which enabled him to leave behind a number
of recordings of his music. The
second reel is a composition of Josie McDermott. Josie was a flute player, composer
and singer from the Ballyfarnon area of County Sligo. The title recalls the
occasion of a visit by a missionary priest to his home townland of Bocca, near
Ballydreen, Co. Roscommon during which he presented Josie with a flute to compose
this tune for him. Josie subsequently included the tune on his recording ‘Darby’s
Farewell’ first issued in 1977. Josie’s compositions very much ‘fit’
the musical style of my home area and this is no exception. I was very fortunate
to have had a number of opportunities to share time and music with Josie before
his death in 1992. He was a wonderful man and musician and his compositions bear
testimony to this fact. A transcription
of this tune can be found in the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
publication Treoir, 1992. It is noted that a transcription of the tune under the
title ‘Tuesday Morning’ has also been found in ‘Music of Ireland’,
Ed. David J. Taylor; Dave Mallinson Publications, 1997. Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched
in ‘D’). 6.
Single Jigs: Hug the Bundle / Maloney’s /
Thomas Reilly Clerk of Fore
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara) The
first two jigs here were associated with the Co. Westmeath piper Joe Kilmurray
who lived in Ballallen, Ballinacarrigy. I am grateful to Fr. John Quinn for notating
these gems and ensuring their survival. Though Kilmurray was a noted piper, the
first tune Hug the Bundle was transcribed
from a recording of his whistle playing made in his home in 1966 when he was too
old to play the pipes. No other reference has as yet been found for this tune
in the published collections. The
second tune, Maloney’s, was notated
from the lilting of Joe’s brother Jim, a man who never played a musical
instrument. The tune was recorded in the home of Pierce Butler at Abbeyshaule,
Co. Westmeath in November 1973. This tune was also included by Stephen Grier in
his 1883 collection under the same title. Thomas Reilly
Clerk of Fore was also taken from the Grier manuscript. It appears to be associated
with at least one song or maybe even two. According to research communications
belonging to Fr. Quinn, a song was composed to commemorate the hanging of a Hugh
Reilly, Clerk of Fore for alleged sheep stealing in 1814. In 1862 three men, Mumford,
Gilligan and Ford were hanged at Glaxtown (County Westmeath), about four miles from
Fore for alleged membership of a secret society. Subsequently in 1882 the ‘Barbaville
Murder’ (barbaville is a few miles from Fore) appears to have
provoked the composition of another
song incorporating all three events. One verse is as follows: “They swore that
they were innocent, Although they suffered
sore, Like Murphy, Ford and Gilligan, And Reilly, Clerk of Fore”. Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched
in ‘D’), Gráinne (Harp). 7.
Hornpipes: Mrs. Crotty’s / The Humours of
Tullycrine
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara) These
are two tunes I learned from the playing of my great friend and duet partner here
Benedict Koehler. I fell in love with these tunes when I first heard Benedict
and his wife, harper and accordion player, Hilari Farrington, play this selection
in North Hero, Vermont at ‘The Piper’s Gathering’ in 2002. They
associate these lovely tunes with concertina player and piper Gearoid O’
hAllmhurain, and Parisian born fiddler Patrick Ourceau. Gearoid informs me that
the tune has all the characteristics of single-row concertina tune – played
totally on the C row of the old style German made concertina and that he acquired
it indirectly from Mrs. Crotty having learned it from Dublin fiddler Mary McElvaney.
The
Humours of Tullycrine is very much associated with West Clare according to Gearoid.
Tullycrine is a townland outside Kilrush, Co. Clare. Junior Crehan apparently
was a big fan of this tune though he called it by an alternative title Sruthán
an Chait which he associated with the blind piper Garrett Barry from Inagh
(1847-1899). An alternative title yet again appears in Brendán Breathnach’s
first collection, Ceol Rince na hÉireann 1, entitled Chuir mé Feisteas ar mo Theachsa
after the line in the song sung to the melody “I furnished up my house as
well as I was able…..”. Brian & Benedict (Uilleann
Pipes pitched in ‘D’), Gráinne (Harp). 8.
Air / Reel: A Stór
mo Chroí / Biddy from Muckross (Trad. Arr.
Brian McNamara) This
version of A stór mo Chroí
(Darling of my Heart) was learned from the singing of Mairéad and Nollaig
Casey of Bandon, West Cork. They learned their West Cork version from their mother
Úna ,who hails from Allihies, who in turned learned it from her mother.
It is a song of emigration with the words of the song having been written by Brian
O’Higgins of Kilscyre, Co. Meath (1882 -1949).
Brian, a brother of the late fiddler Frank O’Higgins wrote much poetry
and song and was known better by his pseudonym ‘Brian na Banban’ (Banban
being a poetic name for Ireland). The words of the song
were initially published in ‘Voice of Banba’. O’Higgins suggested that the
words be sung to the air of ‘Bruach na Carraige Báine’. This
air would thus appear to be one of the many versions of Bruach na Carraige Báine.
The 1922 publication by An tAthair Pádraig Breathnach , ‘Songs of
the Irish Gael 1’ includes a setting attributed to Annie O’Reilly,
who is described as Professor of Irish Traditional Singing at Ballingeary Irish
College, Co. Cork. Numerous version of the
air have been featured in the collections of Petrie, O’Neill and Roche. I
learned the reel Biddy from Muckross
from the recording of Mike Rafferty and his daughter Mary, ‘The Road to
Ballinakill’, 2001. Mike has been a dear friend and musical hero to me ever
since my first visit to Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey in 1989 when on a tour
of North
America with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann I was so fortunate
to be hosted by Mike and his wife Teresa. The tune itself is associated with the
Kilcar region of Donegal and the Biddy in question was a musical lady and lilter
from the headland of Muckross near Kilcar. Her performances included lilting at
dances in the area when no fiddlers were available. There are a number of intriguing
stories of how Biddy acquired the tune featured here including a version described
in Caoimhín MacAoidh’s publication ‘Between the Jigs and the
Reels’. Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched
in ‘C’). 9.
Piece: The Humours of Glynn (Trad. Arr.
Brian McNamara) This
is one of a number of settings of the tune ‘The Humours of Glynn’.
On the1998 family recording ‘Leitrim’s Hidden Treasure’ we recorded
a four part jig version taken from the Grier manuscript. The version recorded
here is a ‘piece’ version (Brendán Breathnach , Ceol Rince
na hÉireann, p.13, an Gum, 1989) and is similar in form to that transcribed
from Willie Clancy’s playing in ‘The Dance Music of Willie Clancy’
Ed. Pat Mitchell, Mercier, 1976. This
particular arrangement and interpretation owes much to Benedict Koehler for its
inspiration. According to Edward Daly in his ‘Poets and Poetry of Munster’,
the melody of the jig had been written by Mr. Pierce Power (early 1700s), a celebrated
‘Gentleman Piper’ from the village of Glynn, situated beside the river
Suir between Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir. Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched
in ‘D’). 10.
Jigs: Paddy Fahey’s /
The King of the Pipers
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara). As
we know, Paddy Fahey has never named any of his wonderful compositions, however
his tunes are easily identifiable and have a trade mark style all of their own.
Though suited predominantly to the fiddle some of his compositions work very well
on the pipes. This is one I have enjoyed playing for years since first hearing
it on the ‘The Cliffs of Mohir’ recording featuring Sean and Kathleen
Ryan with Pat Lyons. The
second jig is one of a number of versions of the tune The King of the Pipers and this four-part version would appear
to be associated with Donegal noting its transcription in the ‘Northern
Fiddler’ attributed to the playing of Francie and Mickie Byrne where it is
also known as ‘The Kilrone jig’. Though there have been a number of
recordings of different versions of this tune, my interest in the melody was reawakened
on hearing it played by Peter and Angelina Carberry on their beautiful 2001recording
‘Memories from the Holla’. Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched
in ‘C’). 11.
Reels: The Spike Island Lasses / Dr. Taylor’s
Favourite / The Green Garters
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara) One
of the great tunes in the piping repertoire, this first tune would seem like so
may others to have started out life as a two-part tune and mutated into this now
more commonly known four-part version. The two part version is associated with
concertina playing and Mrs. Crotty in particular. The tune appears in O’Neill’s
‘Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody’ as ‘Reidy’s Reel’,
named after a North Kerry fiddler from whom Patrick Stack learned it and passed
it on to O’Neill. Brendán Breathnach
also featured the tune in his publication ‘Ceol Rince na hÉireann
1’. I
remember learning this second tune Dr. Taylor’s
Favourite from Peter Maguire who always felt that it embodied the character
of Leitrim music and suited the South Leitrim style of playing. O’Neill
includes it in his 1001 and 1850 collections as Dr. Taylor’s favourite where
he identifies his source as John McFadden. Mc Fadden was a Mayo born fiddler who
was noted for his duet playing with Aughavas pipers’ James ‘Old Man’
Quinn and Sergeant James Early in the second half of the 19th century
in Chicago. It can also be found
under the alternative title ‘The Bloom of Youth’ in both of O’Neill’s
1001 and 1850 collections attributed to Robert Lawson. This is the piper Lawson
whom O’Neill in his ‘Irish Minstrels and Musicians’ publication
describes as having inherited a beautiful set of Egan pipes from Aughavas born
piper, Sergeant James Early which had originally belonged to Kerry man ‘Dan’
O’Keeffe (1821-1899) only to have them stolen from him in a New York ‘Bowery’
bar-room after he had been fed some “knock-out drops”! It is under
this alternative title that Leitrim flute player John McKenna recorded it in 1934
on the Decca label. Paddy Kiloran recorded it under the title ‘Tansey’s
Favourite’ and this is one of the names by which it is featured in Breathnach’s
‘Ceol Rince na hÉireann 3’. Alternative titles include ‘The
Downshire Reel’ in Seamus Gordon’s (1826-96) collection in Trinity
College Dublin and ‘Gardiner’s Favourite’ in Pat McNulty’s
collection ‘The Dance music of Ireland’, 1975.
It would however appear to have an even older name and to have a Scottish
origin considering its inclusion in Aloys Felischmann’s collection ‘Sources
of Irish Traditional Music c.1600-1855’ under the titles ‘Countess
of Sutherland Reel’ and ‘Glasgow Ladies Reel’. The
third and final tune in this selection was sourced by O’Neill from James
Kennedy, son of Leitrim fiddle master Peter Kennedy of Ballinamore. It can be
found in his 1001and 1850 collections. According to Breathnach in his ‘Ceol
Rince na hÉireann 1’ publication, ‘The Blacksmith’s Daughter’
is a version of The Green Garters. An alternative version in the key of G is to
be found in a number of collections including the Grier manuscript. Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched
in ‘D’). 12. Slip
Jigs: Hardiman the Fiddler / The Arra Mountains / Redican’s Mother
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara) As
invited guest tutors to the 2003 U.S. West Coast Piper’s tionol in San Francisco, Benedict and I were asked
to play together in the Saturday night concert and set about identifying tunes
in common. These three formed part of our selection that night and I liked them
so much that I decided that we should feature them on this recording. Hardiman
the Fiddler as it has become known can be found in ‘The Dance Music
of Willie Clancy’ and in O’Neill’s 1001 and 1850 collections
where it is entitled ‘Hardy Man the fiddler’. The
Arra Mountians is a composition of the
late Paddy O’Brien (1922-1991), Newtown, Co. Tipperary and featured on his recording
‘The Banks of the Shannon’ (1973) with Seamus
Connolly and Charlie Lennon. The mountains are on the Eastern shore of Lough Derg, Co. Tipperary. I was attracted to the
tune on hearing it played by Gráinne Hambly on her 2003 recording ‘Golden
Lights and Green Shadows’. It thus seemed appropriate that Gráinne
should join us on this track. The
final tune was proposed by Benedict and we associate it with the playing of Jack
and Fr. Charlie Coen, natives of Woodford, Co. Galway who have lived most of
their lives in New York. In the sleeve notes of
their recording ‘The Branch Line’ (1977) they noted that this tune
came from Larry Redican who originally learned it from his mother, hence the title.
The first part of the ‘Barony Jig’ in the Roche collection
has much in common with this tune. Brian & Benedict (Uilleann
Pipes pitched in ‘D’), Gráinne (Harp). 13.
Reels: Hobble the Boutches / Sandy over the
Lea
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara) Yet
another tune learned from the Reilly clan, Hobble the Boutches could almost be regarded as Pat’s signature
tune, considering the regularity with which he played it on visits to our home
in Aughavas or in his own home in Drumreilly. Like ‘Captain Locker’
it was played in the Key of C and is thus played on the ‘flat’ pipes
here. A transcription may be found in Ryan’s Mammoth collection. The
second tune was learned from the unpublished manuscript [1844-1846] of Thomas
‘Blind’ Kiernan from Drumlish, Co. Longford. Kiernan was a fiddle
master and reputedly the teacher of the aforementioned Peter Kennedy of Ballinamore
who in turn instructed the Reilly families in fiddle playing. A transcription
of the tune featured here is to be found in Aloys Felischmann’s collection.
Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched
in ‘C’). 14.
Air: Táimse im’chodladh (Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara) This
is a patriotic or political piece composed in eighteenth century Munster, of the Aisling or ‘vision’
tradition, in which a beautiful lady (personifying Ireland) appears to the poet in
a vision, to encourage resistance and hold out hope of victory against the invading
forces. Numerous versions of the melody exist including three different transcriptions
in the Petrie-Stanford collection, and another in the Bunting collection. The
version played here may be found in ‘Ceol ár Sínsear’
published in 1913. The songs in this collection were in the main collected from
singers in Cork and featured Munster versions of the words
and airs. No author is given for Táimse
im’ Chodladh (I am asleep). It is also included in the more contemporary
publication ‘Cuisle an Cheoil’ published by the Department of Education
in Ireland. The Roche collection,Vol.1 also features
this version of the melody. This is also another of the great airs associated
with the Uilleann pipes. Brian (Uilleann Pipes pitched
in ‘D’). 15.
Reels: Ormond Sound / The Connaught Heifers
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara) This
was the selection that was never intended. During the microphone set up in the
studio Benedict and I began playing Ormond Sound and felt so good about it that
we decided to find another tune as a companion. The Connaught Heifers was suggested
and though we had never played it together previously and only did one take, I
think this captures why we so enjoy playing together – attempting to anticipate
each others interpretation and variations and an apparent innate common understanding
of what the tune is about. I
actually learned the first tune, Ormond
Sound, from Benedict at a session in New Hampshire in 2001 after I played
a concert hosted by our mutual friends Mary and Charlie of OssianUSA. It is another composition of the great
composer Paddy O’Brien, Newtown, Co. Tipperary and can be found in the
1992 publication ‘The compositions of Paddy O’Brien’. A
transcription of the second reel can be found in Brendán Beathnach’s
‘Ceol Rince na hÉireann 1’,and also
in ‘The Dance music of Willie Clancy’ (Ed. Pat Mitchell). A
version also appears in the Petrie-Stanford publication under the title ‘The
Silver Mines’. Brian & Benedict (Uilleann
Pipes pitched in ‘D’). 16.
Hornpipes: Kilcooley Wood / The not so Bashful
Bachelor
(Trad. Arr. Brian McNamara) The
compositions of the late Seán Ryan, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary (died 1985) have always been amongst
my favourite tunes and this first hornpipe is one of his gems. Seán was
a tremendous fiddle player as well as a wonderful composer and recorded with his
wife Kathleen and their friend the late Pat Lyons a recording entitled ‘The
Cliffs of Mohir’ on the Outlet label. Kilcooley Wood refers to a wood-land
close to Seán’s native homestead. I learned this tune from Seán’s
son Brian, a flute player and pianist. I
finish with another tune from the collection of Stephen Grier. Grier who lived
much of his life in Gortletteragh where he compiled his noteworthy collection
of almost 1000 tunes dated 1883 was a piper and an integral part of the rich and
vibrant piping tradition of South Leitrim during the 19th
century. Over twenty of the tunes featured in his collection have been recorded
on the1998 family recording Leitrim’s
Hidden Treasure and another seven on the 2000 solo recording A Piper’s Dream which also featured
a detailed description of the piping tradition in the area. The
first part of this tune which is played here in the key of D corresponds with
The Wily Old Bachelor as transcribed
in O’Neill’s 1001 collection and as The Bashful Bachelor in Breathnach’s (Ceol Rince na hÉireann
3). In both these publications the tune is transcribed in the key of G. The second
part however would appear to have been married off to a different bachelor as
it is completely different to that transcribed by O’Neill and Breathnach! Brian
(Uilleann Pipes pitched in ‘D’), Gráinne (Harp). | 
