Wednesday 25 April 2012

Ceol as Sliabh Luachra (1982)

128 kbps



Julia Clifford & Billy Clifford with Manus Lunny - Ceol as Sliabh Luachra
(Gael Linn - CEF 092 - 1982)

An exceptional album, mostly featuring duets played by the Sliabh Luachra fiddle player Julia Clifford, and her son Billy. One of the album's most remarkable charms is the way in which Billy's flute matches exactly the rhythm, phrasing, and ornamentation of his mother's fiddle on the many sets of Sliabh Luachra slides and polkas that they play together. In many respects it is the way in which Billy plays the fiddle on the flute that makes his music here so distinctive and so wonderful to hear, and the closeness of the communication between the two musicians is truly exceptional. Together with The Star Above the Garter, and Denis Doody's Kerry Music, this is one of my all-time favourite recordings of Sliabh Luachra music.

You can watch Julia Clifford play the air 'The O'Rahilly's Grave', followed by two slides, here.

Many thanks to SJ for providing a digital copy of this album, after much searching.

1. The Moving Bog (O'Sullivan's)/The Green Cottage no. 1 [Polkas]
2. The Cat Rambles to the Child's Saucepan (Paddy Cronin's)/The Cullen [Slides]
3. Lomonach Cross/I'm Waiting for You [Reels]
4. Bill the Weaver/Paddy Lyons' [Jigs]
5. King Williamstown [Air]
6. The Sands/Corney Drew's [Hornpipes]
7. Neily Cleere's [Polkas]
8. The Knocknagree/The Kishkeam Lasses [Slides]
9. Johnny Spillane's Favourite/Darby's Cross [Polkas]
10. The Thrashing Reel/The Rabbit's Burrow [Reels]
11. The Killarney Wonder/Walsh's/The Gleanntán [Hornpipes]
12. Cuban Polka/Johnny Leary's [Polkas]
13. The Walls of Liscarroll [Jig]
14. The Heathery Glen [Air]
15. Art O'Keeffe's/Rain a Sup [Slides]
16. Din Tarrant's [Polkas]
17. Charlie Mulvihill's no. 2/Sheehan's [Reels]
18. The Gullane no. 1/The Gullane no. 2 [Polkas]
19. The Cobbler/Five Servants [Polkas]

Sunday 15 April 2012

Pádraig O'Keeffe - The Sliabh Luachra Fiddle Master (1993)

131 kbps



Pádraig O'Keeffe - The Sliabh Luachra Fiddle Master (RTÉ - CD174 - 1993)

A deleted recording of the Sliabh Luachra fiddle player and teacher taken from RTÉ archive recordings made by Séamus Ennis between 1947 and 1949. This is absolutely brilliant Sliabh Luachra music, and the final set of tunes - a duet with Denis Murphy - is a classic.

1. Quinn's/Callaghan's [Reels]
2. Gallagher's [Jigs]
3. The Banks of the Danube [Air]
4. O'Sullivan's/O'Callaghan's [Polkas]
5. Johnny Cope [Hornpipe]
6. I'd Rather be Married than Left/Chase me Charlie/The Kilcummin [Slides]
7. The Old Man Rocking the Cradle [Air]
8. George White's Favourite/Kennedy's/The Road the Newbridge [Reels]
9. Gleanntán Frolics/The Hare in the Corn [Slides]
10. The O'Rahilly's Grave [Air]
11. The Humours of Ennistymon/I Will if I Can [Jigs]
12. John Quinn's [Hornpipe]
13. The Donaghmore [Reel]
14. Caoineadh Uí Dhomhnaill (Lament for O'Donnell) [Air]
15. The Kilcummin/If I Had a Wife [Slides]
16. As I Went Out Upon the Ice/Campdown Races/Tom Billy's/Jimmy Doyle's [Polkas]