1. Aidan and Breda Shannon
Jigs – Dermot Grogan’s / Maid At The Well / Jimmy Neary’s.
We start off “volume 2” with this powerful performance from the talented brother and sister duet from Ballinameen. The first tune is associated with the recently deceased wonderful multi instrumentalist from Mayo, Dermot Grogan. The second tune is also known as “The Blackthorn stick” and it appears in O’Neill’s 1001 and Brendan Breathneach’s “Ceol Rince na hÉireann 1”. The last tune was learned from master Meath concertina player, Micheál O’Raghallaigh.

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2. James Carty
Reels – Tory Island/The Duke of Leinster.
James Carty of London and Ballinameen, plays in a distinct North Connaught flute style. His dad, John P. Carty, a fine flute player, featured on volume 1 of this series. James got the first tune from the Galway flute player, Gabe Sullivan. It's known locally, as "The Strokestown Reel". The second tune, a firm favourite of Connaught flute and fiddle players, was originally recorded by Michael Coleman.

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3. Packie Duignan (1922–1992)
Jigs – The Wandering Minstrel / The Butcher’s March.
Although very much associated with Co. Leitrim, and with the towns of Drumshanbo and Carrick on Shannon, the great character Packie came from Arigna, on the Roscommon side. Music knows no boundaries, however, and we were very happy to be in a position to include a taste of his wonderful music on this CD. Packie was also a great wit, and was extremely well known and liked. He was the only bachelor we know that went on two different honeymoons! Here he plays lovely versions of the two jigs, which both appear in Breathneach’s collections.

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4. Michael Anthony Glynn (1900–1943)
Reel – Over The Moor To Maggie.
It’s great to be able to highlight the South Roscommon tradition, by including an archive track from this man, Michael A.Glynn. Michael came from Moore, Roscommon’s most southerly parish. He emigrated to New York in the mid 1920’s and was quickly signed up by Columbia records, making three records with them, one in 1929 and two in 1931. He then returned to Moore in the early 1930’s, and died at home in 1943. This track comes from his 1929 record, and it’s titled “The Ulster Reel”. The tune, however, is more commonly known as the above title. This two part version is also played by American traditional fiddlers and known as “ Waynesboro”.

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5. Finbarr McGreevy
Jigs - The Hearty Boys Of Ballymote / Tommy Maguire’s.
Finbarr is a young musician, in his early 20’s, from the Elphin area, whose flute playing reputation is steadily growing. The first of these nicely paced jigs appears to be a version of “The Hearty Boys of Ballymote”. It was originally a Scottish marching tune, "Adew Dundee” from the 1600’s. Finbarr himself calls this tune “Bill Collins’ jig”. The second tune was learned from a great group of musicians from North Connaught called “Siona”, who recorded a fine CD, "Launching the Boat”, a few years back.

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6. Tom McHale (1946–1977) (Whistle)
Reel – The Mason’s Apron.
Tom McHale, from Tulsk, was a brilliant musician, as you can hear from this recording. He passed away at a relatively young age some years ago. Thankfully his music lives on. This recording was made by Fr.Enda Naughton in Athlone, around 1975. Sean Maguire is very much associated with this long version of the tune. The tune appears in the Joyce and Farrell collections.

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7. Liz Wynne
Air and Jig – Lament For Tom McHale and An Rógaire Dubh.
We felt it appropriate to follow Tom McHale’s track with this Josie McDermott composed air that he wrote for Tom. Liz Wynne, a great flute player and singer, from Roscommon town plays this track. The jig that follows is said to have been composed by Scottish fiddler, Johnny McGill, in the 18th century. It’s also a very popular Sean–Nós song from the Connemara tradition

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8. Peg McGrath (1948–1995) and Josie McDermott (1925–1992) with Kathleen Lawrie
Reels – The Holly Bush (comp. Finbarr Dwyer) / Gilbert Clancy’s.
The late lamented Peg Needham (McGrath) was a sweet flute and whistle player, originally from the Boyle area, who settled and reared a musical family in Dundalk. This selection comes from a recording made by Paddy Ryan in Lawrie’s house, Birmingham, in June 1970. It features Peg in a very tight duet with her friend and mentor, the great Josie McDermott. Kathleen Lawrie plays piano on this also.

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9. Bronagh Needham
March – Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Bronagh, who is Peg McGrath Needham’s daughter, carries her mother’s stylish and rhythmical playing to the present day. This tune is a march and an air to a Jacobean song called “ Cam ye by Atholl”. The words of the song are by James Hogg.

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10. Mick Callaghan
Reels – The Flowers Of Red Hill / The Street Player (comp. Ed Reavy).
Mick, from Frenchpark originally, starts off with this fine regional reel. It’s also known as Anderson’s reel, after Michael Anderson, a Sligo piper and contemporary of Michael Coleman. It appears in “Ceol Rince na hÉireann 1”. It was also recorded by Tom “the flash” Morrison, the great Dunmore, Co.Galway flute player, as “The Maids of Fair Hill” in the 1920’s. The second tune is a composition of the fiddler and great composer, Ed Reavy, who originally came from Maudeban, near Cootehill, Co.Cavan. He wrote it as a hornpipe, but it’s been extensively recorded as a reel.

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11. Aidan Flynn
Reels – Dowd’s No.9 / The First Month Of Summer.
Aidan comes from Ballintubber, and is one of a new generation of flute players who have reached a high level of technical ability and contemporary approach. The first tune is attributed to John O’Dowd, Sligo fiddler, and uncle of well known Gurteen fiddler, Joe O’Dowd. The second tune appears in O’Neill’s 1001 and 1850, and also in “Ceol Rince na hÉireann” (Brendan Breathneach/Jackie Small).

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12. Hubert Finan (1912–1974) & Dominick “Sonny” Flanagan (1908–1977)
Set dance – The Blackbird.
It is our delight, again to include this special duet from the archives. These men, from the Castlerea area were a well respected duo, and as you can hear they played very much in unison and had lovely phrasing. “Sonny” Flanagan is fatherin- law of the legendary Roscommon flute player, Frank Jordan, who is well into his eighties and still playing away, thankfully. “The Blackbird” can be a hornpipe, an air or a song. It appears in many collections and on many recordings, and is also known as “The Royal Blackbird”.

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13. Charlie Cox (Whistle)
Jig – The Battering Ram.
Charlie is a great well known local character, from the Elphin/Strokestown area, who plays flute, whistle, pipes, and is a singer also. “The battering ram” is supposedly a reference to the battering rams used in evictions. It’s a very popular choice of tune among flute and whistle players in North Connaught.

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14. Siobhan Collins
Reels – The Merry Blacksmith / The Merry Harriers.
Siobhan comes from Ballinagare, and although still in her teens, has become a fine player. Her first tune is very similar to “The Devils of Dublin”, and some say it’s a version of the devils. It appears in the Goodman, Joyce, O’Neill and Breathneach collections under various titles. Siobhan’s second “merry” tune is very much in the repertoire of this region.

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15. John Griffin
Song - The Boatman From Clonmel.
We are delighted to re-release a recording from this man, who was known as “The Fifth Avenue busman”. John originally came from Lisacul, Ballaghadereen. He emigrated to America circa 1917, and he recorded over thirty 78 records between the late 1920’s and 1930’s. John worked on the New York bus system and was a unique and accomplished performer, playing flute, singing and lilting.

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16. Joe Leheny
Jigs – The Killavil / Jackie Roche’s Favourite.
Joe comes from Arigna very close to the Leitrim border and indeed to John McKenna’s original homestead. Here he plays another version of this great tune, The Killavil. The second jig was recorded by the brilliant Galway flute player, Paddy Carty.

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17. John and Shane Carlos
Reels - The Bush In Bloom / The Red Haired Lass.
Here we feature a father and son duet who come from the Tulsk/Castlerea area. John’s father and Shane’s grandfather, John Carlos Snr., was a very good flute player, whose music we hope to feature on Volume 3. The second tune in this lively set was recorded by John McKenna and James Morrison in New York in 1929. It appears in Roscommon flute player, Bernard Flaherty’s book, “The Trip to Sligo”.

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18. Declan Noone
Reels – Down the Broom/Fred Finn’s / Come West Along The Road.
Declan comes from Keadue or “O’Carolan country”, an area in North Roscommon with a huge tradition that produced many good flute players and harpers in the last thirty or forty years. Declan plays three very strong regional tunes here. “Down the Broom” is often followed by “The Gatehouse Maid”, and was recorded by Paddy Killoran in 1937. The second tune is associated with and called after Fred Finn, from Killavil Co. Sligo. The third tune was recorded by the Aughrim Slopes Céilí Band under the title “The Monasteraden Fancy” It was also recorded by Leitrim’s John McKenna and appears in O’Neill’s 1001.

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19. Padraig Sweeney (Whistle)
Reels - Jim Donoghue’s / Dublin Reel.
Here, playing a lovely whistle style is Padraig, originally from North Roscommon, who crossed the border to live in Drumshanbo. Padraig is also an accomplished flute player, and a music teacher of note. The first tune appears in print, in Bernard Flaherty’s “Trip to Sligo”. The well known second reel is also called “Jackson’s”, ”The Dublin Lasses”, and “The Shuffle Reel”. It appears in “Ceol Rince na hÉireann 3”.

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20. Aine O’Connor
Hornpipe – Alexander’s.
Sweet playing here, from Aine, who comes from south of the village of Knockcrockery. Aine is one of a rising number of great young musicians from South Roscommon. This hornpipe is also known as “The Sandlark Hornpipe” or “Ballymanus Fair”. It appears in O’Neill’s 1850.

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21. Jim Donoghue (1910–1990) (Whistle)
Reel – Drowsy Maggie.
Jim Donoghue is still very highly regarded to this day as a fine exponent of the regional style on his trademark Clarke’s’ whistle. Although considered to be a Sligo musician, Jim was from Drumacoo, on the Roscommon side of the Mayo/Sligo borders. This recording was made by Reg Hall in 1971, at Jim’s house. Séamus Tansey and Bill Leader were also present on that occasion.

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22. Mai Baxter and Brenda Sweeney
Reels – The Baltimore Salute / The Lansdowne Lasses / Trip To Birmingham (All comp. Josie McDermott).
Mai Baxter (nee Harte) comes from the Keadue area. Her parents, Tom and Lily Harte, were great friends of Josie McDermott, and Mai was greatly influenced by Josie’s music and playing. The same could be said about Brenda Sweeney, who was a very close neighbour of Josie’s. Here they play three of Josie’s fine compositions, including “The Trip to Birmingham” which was written after Josie returned from the All Britain fleadh where he was adjudicating with Peg McGrath.

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23. Michael Daly
Reels – Gan Ainm / The Trip to Birmingham, lilted by Michael, Lily Harte, and Josie McDermott.
Michael Daly was a great flute player, originally from Arigna, who lived in England for a large part of his life. Michael did a lot of recording of musicians, both in England and at home. Interestingly he became involved in politics, and was the first (and only) Irish mayor of the town of Worthing. The first tune was recorded by Cathal McConnell on an LP many years ago. This whole piece was recorded by Patsy Hanly, and the lilting features Michael (Mai Baxter’s uncle), Lily Harte (Michael’s sister and Mai’s mother) and of course, Josie McDermott. The sport and “craic” that this lilting trio had can be picked up from this recording.

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