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Tune and Artist Notes:
 1. Jigs: Don't Touch that Green Linnet / Doolish / Gráinne's Jig
Tommy Peoples, fiddle (Alph Duggan, guitar)
A native of Killycally near St. Johnston in east Donegal, master fiddler and composer Tommy Peoples is one of the most respected names in Irish music today. A veteran of the group 1691 and the internationally renowned Bothy Band in the 1970s, he lived in Dublin and Clare before relocating recently to Boston. With over ten critically acclaimed albums, several compilation discs, and a classic masterpiece with Matt Molloy and Paul Brady, (Mulligan, 1978), Tommy received the prestigious Traditional Music Award from Teilifís na Gaeilge (Irish language television network) in 1998.
Tommy’s first tune is named ‘after a small bird, to which innocent children got too close, unaware of its voraciousness.’ Doolish Mountain, where he went to school as a child, inspired the second tune, while Gráinne's Jig is named after his youngest daughter.
All tunes composed and recorded by Tommy Peoples on The Quiet Glen/An Gleann Ciúin (© 1998, Tommy Peoples Publishing, Toonagh, Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland. IMRO.)
 2. Reels: The Maids of Mitchelstown / The Bunch of Keys
Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, concertina and Patrick Ourceau, fiddle
Clareman Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin and Frenchman Patrick Ourceau began playing music together in 1985 when Ó hAllmhuráin was studying at Université de la Sorbonne in Paris. Both now reside in the US where they continue to play and tour together. A full-time musician, Patrick also performs with the well-known ensemble Chulrua.
Reminiscent of the listeners’ sanctum as opposed to the dance floor, these old reels played in the key of F explore some of the older subtleties of Sliabh Aughty fiddling, which have endured since the post famine era of the blind itinerant fiddler Paddy McNamara. The Bunch of Keys is known in the US as Paddy on the Turnpike and appeared with the Dublin Reel and Miss Thornton on a 1936 recording of Paddy Killoran. Both settings were learned from legendary East Clare fiddler Paddy Canny.
Recorded by Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin and Patrick Ourceau on Tracin' - Traditional Music from the West of Ireland (© 1999, Celtic Crossings, San Francisco, CA, USA. ASCAP. )
 3. Jigs: Traditional Cape Breton Jig / Dan Hughie's / Donald Angus's
Dougie MacDonald: fiddle (Allan Dewar, piano and Sandy MacDonald, guitar)
Inspired as a child by the great composer Dan Hughie MacEachern and mentored in his teens by fiddler Jerry Holland, Dougie MacDonald is one of Cape Breton’s most respected fiddlers and composers. A hard rock miner by profession, he shares his time between mining in Northern Ontario and returning home to his family in Dunvegan, Cape Breton. Dougie is a well-known figure on the Nova Scotian festival circuit and when not composing tunes hundreds of feet underground, he can be heard playing for square dances in West Mabou and Glendale, Cape Breton. He is credited with the fiddlers’ philosophy that “when you don’t play your fiddle for a day, you hear it. When you don’t play for two days, everyone hears it!” In this selection of jigs, he pays homage to two of the island's most illustrious composers, Dan Hughie MacEachern from Queensville and Donald Angus Beaton from Mabou Coal Mines.
Recorded by Dougie MacDonald on Fiddle Tunes (© 1993, Dougie MacDonald, Frith Bhaile 'n Rí, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, B0E 3LO, Canada. SOCAN).
 4. Hornpipes: Captain John's / The Queen of May
Geraldine Cotter: piano (Adele O'Dwyer, cello)
Teacher, research scholar, adjudicator, and musician, Geraldine Cotter grew up in musical household in Ennis, but has strong family connections to the village of Kilmihil in West Clare. Holder of numerous All-Ireland titles on piano and tin whistle, Geraldine has published several highly regarded tutors on Irish music. A slow air specialist, she is one of the most sought after piano accompanists on the Irish music circuit. A veteran of many international tours, she has played with numerous céilí bands including the Shaskeen, the Tulla and the Kilfenora, and with luminaries like Charlie Harris, Des Mulkere and Mary McNamara. Captain John's is from the Joyce collection and is played in the key of F. The Queen of May is published in O'Neill's 1001 Gems.
Recorded by Geraldine Cotter on Piano+ (© 2002, Geraldine Cotter, Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland. IMRO.)
 5. Hornpipe & Reels: Caisleán an Óir / The Humours of Scarrif / Over the Moor to Maggie
Anthony Quigney, flute and Aidan McMahon, fiddle (Donncha Moynihan, guitar)
A native of Clooney, celebrated in Clare's famous anthem Spancilhill, Anthony Quigney began playing with Aidan McMahon from Kilfenora when they were teenagers. Aidan traces his musical ancestry back to the Kilfenora fife and drum band in the early 1900s. Winners of numerous All Ireland duet titles over the years, they played together in the Kilfenora Céilí Band.
Set in the flat pitch of the older pipers and fiddlers from nineteenth century Clare, this selection begins with a favorite West Clare hornpipe. The Humours of Scarriff was collected by Captain Francis O'Neill during his visit to East Clare in 1906. Anthony and Aidan learned it from Kilkishen fiddler, Francie Donnellan, a true gentleman of Clare music. Over the Moor to Maggie is associated with Willie Clancy, who is reputed to have 'composed' the third part of the tune 'in a fit a devilment.'
Recorded by Aidan McMahon and Anthony Quigney on A Clare Conscience (© 2002, QMC Music, Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland. IMRO.)
 6. Song: The Road to Dunmore
Robbie O'Connell, vocals & guitar (Liam Clancy, concertina; Dónal Clancy, guitar; Conor Power, keyboards; James Blennerhassett, bass, cello)
The Waterford coastal town of Dunmore East is the scene for this song of separation, an all too familiar theme in the Irish ballad tradition. Born in Waterford and raised in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary, Robbie O'Connell has lived in New England since the early 1980s. One of Ireland’s most respected singer/songwriters, Robbie's songs have been recorded by various Irish singers, as well as Kathy Mattea and other US country artists. With several albums to his credit, Robbie O’Connell has performed with his uncles, the Clancy Brothers, at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and other prestigious venues and Irish festivals worldwide. He has also toured extensively with Liam and Dónal Clancy, Green Fields of America, Aengus, and TríÓ.
Composed by Robbie O’Connell and recorded by Liam Clancy, Robbie O’Connell and Dónal Clancy on Clancy, O’Connell & Clancy (© 1987, Slievenamon Music, © 1997, Helvic Music, Ireland. BMI.)
 7. Reels: An Trí is a Rian / The Ballymahon Reel / Caher Rua
Randal Bays, fiddle and Dáithí Sproule, guitar
Introduced to Irish music in the 1970s, Randal Bays has become a household name in Irish traditional music on the American West Coast. Lauded for his deft guitar work with Martin Hayes, he is also a fiddler of tremendous skill and is well versed in the fiddle dialects of East Clare. Director of the independent Foxglove record label, he teamed up with Derry born singer and guitarist Dáithí Sproule, after relocating to Massachusetts in the late 1990s. A veteran of celebrated ensembles like Altan, Skara Brae, and Trian, Dáithí is a prominent figure in Irish music in North America. An Irish language scholar and composer, he has performed throughout Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and China. He has also guested with an eclectic elan of artists, including Tommy Peoples, Matt Molloy, Séamus and Manus McGuire, Paddy O'Brien, James Kelly, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs and Bonnie Raitt.
On this track, Randal and Dáithí perform a set of reels learned from Dublin fiddler, James Kelly. An Trí is a Rian comes from the repertoire of Sliabh Luachra master, Denis Murphy, who was known affectionately as 'Denis the Weaver' after his family's profession.
Recorded by Randal Bays and Dáithí Sproule on Overland (© 2004, Foxglove Records, Hadley, MA, USA. ASCAP.)
 8. Strathspeys & Reels: The Laddie with the Plaidie / Athole Brose / Captain David Stewart / The Spey in Spate
Barbara MacDonald Magone, piano and Alasdair Fraser, fiddle (Jody Stecher, guitar)
California-based Barbara MacDonald Magone was born in Michigan into a community of Cape Breton immigrants. She learned music from her father, Johnny Archie MacDonald, a fiddler raised in Little Judique Ponds, Cape Breton, who worked as a policeman in Detroit. Barbara grew up listening to masters like Dan R. MacDonald (1911-1976) who lived across the river in Windsor and was regular visitor to her home. By the time she was a teenager, she was making LP recordings with her father. Summer trips to Cape Breton led to a lifetime of music, teaching and performing. Barbara was featured on three Smithsonian Masters of the Folk Violin tours and has performed with Irish fiddlers Liz Carroll, Séamus Connolly, James Kelly, Dale Russ, and Máiréad Ní Mhaonaigh.
According to tradition, Athole Brose was a drink made from honey and whisky that was invented by the Duke of Atholl during the Highland Rebellion in 1745. Surrounded by legend, one account recalls how Atholl set out to capture the rebel leader, Ian MacDonald, Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles. He arranged to have the well at which Ross drank filled with honey, whisky and oatmeal. Enchanted by his drink, Ross dallied too long at the well and was captured. The last tune, The Spey in Spate, was composed by James Scott Skinner (1843-1927).
Recorded by Barbara MacDonald Magone with Alasdair Fraser and Jody Stecher on The Fiddler's Friend (© 1989, Culburnie Records, Nevada City, CA, USA. ASCAP.
 9. Oran Luadh / Scottish Milling Song: Hè Mo Leannan
Navan (Elizabeth Fine, Joan Steele, Sheila Shigley and Paul Gorman, vocals)
With strong ties to the Irish language and music movement, Navan are a Celtic-language a cappella quartet based at the University Wisconsin-Madison. These young singers have made several trips to Glencolmcille, Co. Donegal and Connemara, Co. Galway in pursuit of their Irish language studies. Fluent in several Gaelic dialects and keen researchers of song traditions in all six Celtic languages, Navan have focused their attention on the choral tradition which reached its apex in Ireland in the 1950s under the claisceadal movement of Seán Óg Ó Tuama and is continued by ensembles like Cóir Chúil Aodha in West Cork.
Hè Mo Leannan is a Scottish milling, or waulking song, from the Hebrides, where the Gaelic language is still strong in some communities. Waulking (luadh in Gaelic) was the traditional process for making new cloth thicker and softer by beating it on a table, or by stomping it on a board laid on the ground. Participants would sit around the table or board and sing song after song to accompany the rhythmic beat of hands or feet, passing the cloth steadily sunwise (clockwise) as they worked. The songs were often humorous with verses composed on the spot to tease members of the party. It was a spiritual occasion nonetheless, woven through with rituals and prayers to consecrate the cloth and bless those who would wear it.
Recorded by Navan on Navan: Mairneas (© 2003, Doirlinn Music, Madison, WI, USA. ASCAP. )
10. Reels: The Bush in Bloom / The Munster Reel / Captain Kelly's Reel
Geraldine Cotter, piano, with Maeve Donnelly and Peadar O'Loughlin, fiddles, Eamon Cotter, flute and Adele O'Dwyer, cello
For most of a century, piano accompaniment has been one of the defining features of the Irish céilí band tradition. Following in the footsteps of female predecessors like Anna Rafferty of the Ballinakill Céilí Band, Bridie Lafferty of the Castle and Kitty Linnane of the Kilfenora, Geraldine treats us a classic feast of piano accompaniment on this suite of reels, joined by an old style line up of fiddles and flute. Long time friends, Geraldine, Maeve and Peader, along with her brother Eamon, meet regularly for tunes in County Clare. In this context, the cello helps recreate, to some degree, the sound of the stand up bass used by jazz men in the older céilí bands.
The Bush in Bloom is from the Roche Collection, while the Munster Reel was learned from Maeve Donnelly. Captain Kelly’s Reel was made popular in Clare by the celebrated Portroe accordionist, Paddy O'Brien.
Recorded by Geraldine Cotter on Piano+ (© 2002, Geraldine Cotter, Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland. IMRO.)
 11. Amhrán ar an Sean Nós / Irish Language Song: Bríd Thomáis Mhurchadha
Áine Meenaghan, Amhránaí
The art of sean nós singing belongs to the inner sanctum of Irish music history. Heir to the archaic tradition of bardic poetry and song which declined with the demise of Gaelic civilization in the eighteenth century, it is sustained today by a unique cohort of singers in the Gaeltachtaí, or Irish speaking communities along the west coast of Ireland. It also enjoys prominence among Irish communities in the US, especially in Boston and Chicago, where it is patronized by immigrant communities from south Connemara.
A native of Muiceannach-idir-dhá-Sháile, Camus, Áine Meenaghan (nee Ní Dhonnchadha) began singing as a child and was strongly influenced by the singing of her grand father. Encouraged by her aunt, schoolteacher Treasa Uí Chartúir, she began to take an interest in sean nós and, at the age of eight, entered her first competition. During the 1970s, Áine or Nan Chamuis as she is known in Connemara, became a household name in the sean nós pantheon. She won the All-Ireland title at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and in 1974 she won the coveted Corn Uí Riada at Oireachtas na Gaeilge, the highest honour awarded to a performer in Ireland. Since immigrating to Chicago, she has performed on many occasions with Martin Hayes and Randal Bays, and tours the festival circuit throughout the Midwest. Her rendition of the poignant love song Bríd Thomáis Mhurchadha highlights the richness of her subtle and distinctive style.
Recorded by Áine Meenaghan on Thug Mé Grá Dhuit: I Gave You My Love (© 2004, Áine Meenaghan, Chicago, IL, USA. ASCAP.)
 12. Fonn Mall / Slow Air: An Buachaill Caol Dubh (The Dark Slender Boy)
Mícheál Ó hAlmhain, flute
Dublin flute player and uilleann piper Mícheál Ó hAlmhain has lived on Inis Oírr, the smallest of the three Aran Islands since 1984. A key figure in Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, he is a former member of the Chieftains and Ceoltóirí Laighean. With numerous All Ireland titles to his credit, he has toured in China, Korea, Libya, Australia, and North America with various Comhaltas groups since the 1970s. An experienced music teacher, researcher and adjudicator, his Tutor for the Feadóg Stáin is regarded as a pedagogical milestone. The experience of working with sean nós singers has given Mícheál a rare appreciation of the musical nuances of slow air playing. His delicate treatment of the sean nós love song An Buachaill Caol Dubh testifies to his talent in this unique genre.
Recorded by Mícheál Ó hAlmhain on The Bard of Aran (© 2000, Ó hAlmhain Music, Inis Oírr, Co. Galway, Ireland. IMRO.)
 13. Hornpipes: The Boys of Blue Hill / The Stack of Barley
Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, concertina and Pádraig O'Dea, sean nós steps (Janet Harbison, harp)
Irish music historian and anthropologist, Dr. Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin holds the Jefferson Smurfit Corporation Chair of Irish Studies and is a Professor of Music at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Born in Ennis, Co. Clare, he learned music from his grandmother, Nora Neylon, a native of Lisroe, Kilmaley. Later, he took music lessons from Frank Custy in Toonagh and Seán Reid in Ennis, both seminal figures in the history of music making in Clare.
The Boys of Blue Hill and The Stack of Barley are old style dance favorites, which Gearóid learned from the concertina playing of his grandmother. They blend here with the sean nós steps of Pádraig O’Dea, a young dancer who was born in London of West Clare parents. A student of the celebrated Cork dancing teachers, Joe and Síobhán O'Donovan, Pádraig has conducted extensive research on traditional dancing, both in Ireland and in the US. In West Clare, there is an integral relationship between the language of the music and the language of the dance. Both are fused in a complex interplay of melodic and step variation, as this track demonstrates.
Recorded by Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin on Traditional Music From Clare and Beyond (© 1996, Celtic Crossings, San Francisco, CA, USA. ASCAP.
 14. Clog & Hornpipe: Shrip’s Clog / The Virtuoso Hornpipe
Maeve Donnelly, fiddle (Geraldine Cotter, piano & Adele O'Dwyer, cello)
One of Ireland's premier fiddlers, Maeve Donnelly comes from the village of Kylemore, Abbey, near Loughrea in East Galway, a region steeped in traditional music. In the past, many celebrated musicians and céilí bands hailed from this area, including the Aughrim Slopes Céilí Band, which included fiddlers Paddy Fahy, Jack Mulkere and Paddy Kelly, all of whom left a lasting imprint on Irish music as composers and teachers. Maeve was fortunate to grow up in a very musical family and won numerous accolades at fleadhanna as a young performer. A member of the Moving Cloud ensemble, alongside Paul Brock, Manus Maguire and Kevin Crawford, Maeve has toured extensively throughout North America. In 1976, she was the youngest of twenty-five musicians invited from Ireland to perform at the Bicentennial Festival of American Folklife in Washington, D.C. A veteran of numerous ensemble and compilation discs, she has recently recorded with Clare fiddler, Peadar O'Loughlin, Dublin piper, Ronan Brown, as well as pianist Geraldine Cotter. A teacher by profession, she lives in the picturesque village of Quin, Co. Clare, famous for its historic Franciscan Abbey.
Maeve took a liking to Shrip’s Clog after hearing it played by fiddler Tommy Doucet some years ago on a tape compellingly titled I Used to Play Some Pretty Tough Tunes. A French Acadian, Tommy was born in Concession, Digby County, Nova Scotia an area that has historic ties to Co. Clare. The Virtuoso Hornpipe is from The Harding Collection (1905).
Recorded by Maeve Donnelly on Maeve Donnelly (© 2002, Maeve Donnelly, Quin, Co. Clare, Ireland. IMRO.)
 15. Reels: The Silver Spear / Mullin's Fancy
Mick O'Brien, uilleann pipes & Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, fiddle
Piper Mick O'Brien and his fiddling cohort, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, were both born in Dublin, although, they have strong affinities with rural Ireland. Lauded by critics as one of the most exemplary duos playing Irish traditional music today, they have devoted considerable energy to reviving historic tunes and regional dialects of Irish dance music. Both have distinguished themselves as competitive performers and hold plaudits from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and Oireachtas na Gaeilge forums. Mick's style was influenced by Séamus Ennis, Willie Clancy and Leo Rowsome. A true traditional artist with an innovative approach and a subtle taste for variation, he is equally adept at playing dance tunes and slow airs. First recorded on an O’Brien family album in the 1970s, he has worked with Riverdance, as well as several classical and liturgical ensembles. His 1996 album May Morning Dew is regarded as a piping classic.
After an illustrious career as a student, Caoimhín devoted years of research to Sliabh Luachra fiddle masters, Pádraig O'Keeffe, Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford, analyzing their music from original field sources at the Traditional Music Archive in Dublin. Although still in his twenties, Ó Raghallaigh has maturity well beyond his years. Very few fiddlers have managed to recreate the dialects of these masters with such tonal and stylistic accuracy.
This version of The Silver Spear was learned from a recording by Séamus Ennis ‘playing as if the end of the world was upon him.’ Mullin’s Fancy is Packie Dolan’s version of the Strawberry Blossom, or The Boys of Ballinahinch. Packie was born in 1904 in Ballinamuck, Co. Longford. He emigrated to New York in 1919, where he made a number of records. He died tragically in a ferryboat explosion on his way to work. He wasn’t even 30 years old.
Recorded by Mick O'Brien and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh on Kitty Lie Over (© 2003, ACM Records, Dublin, Ireland. IMRO.)With its rich variety, this is a perfect introduction to the depth and breadth of traditional music. From haunting slow aires, to heart wrenching ballads, to vibrant reels and jigs, the Independence Suite pulls you along on a musical adventure."
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