Peter Laban

I saw that. Looks like a nice place to look around.

Ah yes, that's the museum that went on a marketing offensive a few years ago declaring on all sorts of websites they were the first and only museum in the world dedicated to musical instruments. I never worked out if that was hubris or ignorance. The other, much older and ironically bearing the same name, MIM in Brussels is worth seeing too : MIM Brussels

I said seventies because I allowed for people Brendan McMahon and Bruce DuVé who were a bit ahead of the big wave. I also wouldn't discount the (as I said, a few) German flutes completely, John McKenna seemed to have been doing OK on one and he was arguably one of the most influential players during his lifetime and long after . I handled and tried Josie Hayes' Metzler (brought over from the US by Paddy Killoran) and it was no shrinking violet. JC Talty did fine in the Tulla on his ivory headed flute. There are plenty of examples of German flutes used to good effect in Ireland during most of the 20th century.

One could easily argue that the common flute for Irish music was not the keyless baroque flute but the stronger sounding 19th century English (and a few German) keyed flutes. The keyless flute for Irish music was introduced by the more modern makers, from the seventies onward would be my guess, because most fluteplayers didn't make much use of the keys to begin with (and quite often removed the leaky ones anyway).

I knew that ofcourse. Noel Hill owns and plays a lot of concertinas.

There is the issue of competitions in Ireland. There is pressure on young players who feel that to have a shot at the All Ireland they need to be seen to play a Jeffries concertina. I have seen (parents of) very fine young players replace perfectly fine Wheatstones and Crabbs for much more expensive instruments in hope their offspring might have a better chance. The same sort of thing is going on with other instruments, whistle players at regional and provincial level competitions are told to get a 'better' instrument (a more expensive one effectively) so they are seen to have committed t otheir music. A pefectly fine Cillian O Briain whistle won't do. It needs to be John Sindt. Same for the flute. A keyed flute is a must on the higher levels, even when the keys aren't used at all. Appearances count in that field.

Is this the one?

Well, those and Seámus Creagh but it was Neillidh Mulligan at the end who made me feel happy.

Come West Along the Road has started a new series. An early nineties recording of a young Yvonne Griffin was featured on this weeks programme. Programmes are archived herefor three weeks.

Both parts are archived. Go to 'archive' and 'music' click the program and both parts will come up.

In that context I can't help thinking that listening to CDs is as much like immersion as doing a linguaphone course. Not quite offering you the same benefits as being in the company of native speakers. It's a start.

In true serendipitous manner I just stumbled into a version of this tune, called The Slipper hornpipe. It did have a different second part.

Roly Browne's article on Lucy Farr, at Musical Traditionas My first reaction was to think of Tommy MCarthy but I have no way of telling, I never got hold of the recording.

I don't know, 'John Kelly's Concertina reel' The one Breandán Breathnach collected and published he probably named that way because he got it from John, playing it on the concertina. It was also on the Topic lp but I am not sure how, if at all, it was named there. The other one likely got it's name the same way. It's a handy enough reference for a tune found without a name. I think Paddy Glacken may have recorded the same one that's on Na Fir Bolg under that name, I am a bit sketchy on that but I have heard it before. Here are the two anyway, not necessarily exact as played on the concertina) T:John Kelly's concertina M:4/4 L:1/8 R:Reel K:DDor AddB ABcB|AEGE DEFG|AddB ABcB|AEGE DEFG:|! AddB cdec|dcAB cAAB|AddB cdec|dcAB c3 B|! AddB cdec|dcAB cAAe|~f3 d ~e3 d|cAAG d2 :||! T:John Kelly's Concertina M:4/4 L:1/8 R:Reel K:G D |:G3F GABG |AGEG GABd |d2 gd edBd|d2 ed dBAE |! G3F GABG |AGEG GABd|d2 gd edBG |1A2 G2 GBAF:|2A2 G2 GABd||! e3d edBc |d2de dBAB| c2ec B2dB |BAAG AGEG|! G3F GABG |AGEG GABd|d2 gd edBG|A2 G2 GABd:|!

Joe Bane was a whistle and fluteplayer from the Feakle area. He sounded like this. If I recall correctly, the one the lads play as 'John Kelly's Concertina Reel' is not the one usually connected with the name, or at least the name as it was first used in Breandan Breatnach's Tacar Port to identify one of Kelly's many nameless tunes.

I was trawling for hornpipes in it recently and came across the one that is known in Ireland as 'The Humours of Castle Bernard'. Ryan had it as 'Bernardo's Favourite'.

Paul de Grae has done extensive research int othe origins of the tunes in O'Neill's collections. Many tunes the good Captain used came from Ryan's Mammoth. And Levey's and many other collections, O'Neills took them where he found them.

In fairness, Mick Kinsella does pretty much the same as Rick and they play together often. As for the argument with the 'anglo for irish only brigade' as you prefer to call it: both Rick and Mick only play very simple chordal accompaniment on the concertina to the harmonica playing, what type of cocnertina they use is hardly relevant to that particular debate.

Considering the location, Sligo, my guess is Rick Epping is the more likely suspect

There's a DVD that was done as a project by students of Scoil; Mhuire in Ennistymon. They were sent out to talk to older people an get some of their experiences. One of the girls from Miltown, Catriona Killeen, went out to Mary Ellen, played tunes with her and talked about the house dances and all those things. lovely to see if you can get your hands on it. Mary Ellen was from this area originally. Kitty Hayes used to tell me about her, Mary Ellen was a few years older than Kitty and when both were in their teens had the better concertina. From the stories you could sense a rivalry that existed at the time. Anyhow, when Kitty came back to the concertina and got known for her playing Mary Ellen became interested again and her children bought her a concertina for her eightiest birthday. She phoned Kitty and they played for eachother over the phone. 'She can't make a fist of it now' Kitty said. They met up several times after that and Mary Ellen put in the work and got going well quickly. On one memorable occasion they both played together at the funeral of a fellow concertinaplayer and friend fro mthe time of the house dances, Joe McCaw, who had asked them to play when the time came. They were mad for music and got great joy from it.

Sorry to hear. She had a good run though.

Direct link

Did you try the Cois na hAbhna archive in Ennis? They have at least in more recent years made an active effort at recording the older players.