Peter Laban

It is like a different world now compared to 86. Here's another one that will print up happier looking:

337 would be interesting wouldn't it? I seem to have half a brain these days with all the typos. I wasn't complaining about the pitch, just saying pipes remain a puzzle to the tuner fixated. They're actually settling quite well, they will be perfect once the humidity goes down (we're still around 90% at the moment).

Maybe to add to Geoff's experiences I recall one music session where four or five of us were playing away, tuned to the concertina of a young local girl in our company. In comes a guy from Dublin with a bouzouki, tunes his his instrument to his tuner and starts bashing away. Not in tune with us at all. After the second set of tunes he looks at us and declares 'Yiz are all out of tune'. I should also mention I have a new and lovely set of pipes that plays perfectly in tune with itself at A=437. It warms up and goes to 440 after a while though. This too is troubling to the tuner brigade.

For some reason concertinaplayers seem to manage to keep at it longer than most other instrumentalists. Obivously the concertina is an instrument less physical than for example the flute and the push button and you have a decent tone makes it easier than playing the fiddle when infirmity sets in. There have been a few examples, Mollie McCarthy, pictured in the attached article from the Clare Champion at 104 (she hadn't been outside the house since she was 80) and Bridget Dineen who went on playing I believe until she died at a hundred and six. And alongside Marty, that's only a few examples from Clare.

Not least for the type of concertina depicted. Reminds me of a similar plaque in honour of 19th century blind piper Garrett Barry, with a depiction of a piper wearing black glasses.

Meanwhile in a paralel universe

Kitty played the way she played. At some point Custy's sold her a C/G Lachenal and her playing fell in C and F. It wasn't really a choice. She would have loved a good responsive D/A concertina she could afford.

George Melly, English singer, wrote an autobiography titled 'Rum, Bum and Concertina'. I remember Jackie Daly mentioning that to me a few years ago, he used the phrase a good bit around that time too.

I have been putting photographs from the recitals at the Willie week on-line. Just added the concertina recital. Take note of Marty O Keeffe in particular, playing both the fiddle and concertina concerts in the week of his 100th birthday. Willie Week 2012 : Photos

Michael, you're making a few assumptions there that aren't correct: He didn't, he played with flute and fiddle players. In fact pipers were few and far between. Willie Clancy for example never heard a piper until he was in his early twenties. C pipes were relatively uncommon compared to B and D sets I think it's probably more the other way around, the C/G wasn't adapted to play in C, it was Paddy Murphy who adapted the C/G to play in D on the mistaken assumption that what he heard William Mullally do on the 78 rpms was done on on a C/G.

'course I do. fixed that.

Kitty had a D/G for a while and it didn't suit her at all. I actually tried sell it for her here but no takers so she sent it back at considerable financial loss. A D/A would have been the way to go to take her style of playing to concert pitch.

You may be thinking of Chief of police Francis O'Neill who collected Irish music, James O'Neill wrote down the music for him. Neither of them played the concertina however, nor is the concertina ever mentioned in their works. Various books/biographies have been written about the Chief and one, The Scribe, about James O'Neill.

lot 35, Lachenal tuning bellows is of interest as well I think:

The owner of the account has weighed in by inserting this into the listing:

A whole portfolio of concertina related patents is listed here Once you know that, it's not hard to find them

It's more likely one of those plastic, floppy ones that used to come in tutor books etc before they put CDs in them. Still requires a record player at 33 or 45 rpm though.

There will be a Commemorative weekend for the late Tom Carey in Cree, Co Clare on 13-15 April. All profits to West Clare Cancer Fund.

Best bet at this poi9nt is probably: http://www.irishmusicdoolin.com/Traditional_Music_Shop/Traditional_Music_Shop.html

Have been holding back for three weeks now but each time I see the thread title I cannot help but think of the old joke Joe Burke and Jackie Daly tell ad nauseum: that the old tunes are great but it's very hard to get new parts for them.

First is the Lisheen, followed by (Dan) O'Keeffe's slide.

Maybe you should consider CD Rom or on-line lessons as well. I think you could do worse than taking the on-line lessons at oaim.ie. Ernestine Healy teaches those I believe.

I don't know how many places were available officially. I didn't count but I'd say there were not more than maybe fifteen participants during the student recital. Mostly teenagers from all over Ireland.

The weekend went off brilliantly, the classes were fully booked. The concert by Noel Hill and Jack Talty was well attended as were the student recital on Saturday and the lectures on Sunday. Kudos to all involved.

There would be many reasons.