9. Paddy Cronin, Chicago 1952Paddy Cronin, fiddle player from Re Bui near Gneaveguille Co. Kerry, a student of Padraig O’Keeffe, immigrated to Boston in 1949. He moved on, with his young wife Connie, to Chicago in early 1951 where they spent three years before returning to live in Boston. During his stay in Chicago, Paddy spent many evenings in the company of Jimmy and Eleanor Neary playing at house sessions and in many of the local music venues throughout the city. Jimmy Neary particularly liked the fiddle playing of Paddy and asked him if he would put down on tape a few tunes, which Paddy agreed to. The tunes were recorded in Paddy’s apartment in 1952, and John Neary (nephew of Jimmy) presented me with that reel-to-reel recording not long before he passed away in 2022 at the age of 89. John knew Paddy was my personal favorite of all the Sliabh Luachra musicians and with this gift, he wanted me to preserve and share his music. Paddy’s playing is superb on this recording with tunes rooted to his homeplace and others popularized by Sligo musicians such as Morrison and Coleman. On some of the tracks, the sound of a very young child can occasionally be heard babbling along with the tune, as Paddy & Connie’s first two children were born during their stay in Chicago. I hope this music will add to your enjoyment of the upcoming holiday period with family and friends.
My thanks to Nicki McAuliffe, Aidan Connolly and Jackie Small for tune name identification and further comments on the tunes by Jackie. |
Paddy Cronin - Photo by Tony Kearns
Jimmy Neary (left) with his nephew John Neary, Chicago
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Track A – Jigs:
1. The Queen of the Fair [Composed by John McFadden, according to Francis O’Neill; PC’s version is slightly non-standard…]
2. The Humours of Lisheen [Also known by other titles…]
1. The Queen of the Fair [Composed by John McFadden, according to Francis O’Neill; PC’s version is slightly non-standard…]
2. The Humours of Lisheen [Also known by other titles…]
Track B – Set dance: The Humours of Bandon [Another performance of this tune is at track O]
Track C –
1. [Slide:] Johnny O’Leary’s Slide [One of many tunes with this title; for further info (including many other titles for the tune played here), see: https://thesession.org/tunes/3735 ]
2. [Double jig:] The Pipe on the Hob [One of at least two different tunes with this title…]
1. [Slide:] Johnny O’Leary’s Slide [One of many tunes with this title; for further info (including many other titles for the tune played here), see: https://thesession.org/tunes/3735 ]
2. [Double jig:] The Pipe on the Hob [One of at least two different tunes with this title…]
Track D – Polka: Going To The Races [This tune is known by multiple titles – see: https://thesession.org/tunes/5444 (which has as its main title ‘The Duke Of Perth’); and https://thesession.org/tunes/12839 ]
Track E – Polka: You Broke my Cup and my Saucer
Track F – Reels:
1. The Boys of the Lough
2. The Kerry Reel [Also commonly known as ‘Green Fields of Rossbeigh’]
1. The Boys of the Lough
2. The Kerry Reel [Also commonly known as ‘Green Fields of Rossbeigh’]
Track G – Reel: Paddy Ryan’s Dream
Track H – Jigs:
1. The Mist on the Meadow [The title given is that on the James Morrison recording, which might well have been PC’s source; the melody of this tune is also used for a song and for a reel; the tune / song has multiple titles; the (original?) jig version was composed by Walker Jackson, first published in 1780 – the title given to it by Jackson was ‘Cossey’s Jig’]
2. The Castlebar Races [This was the title given on the James Morrison recording, which might well have been PC’s source]
1. The Mist on the Meadow [The title given is that on the James Morrison recording, which might well have been PC’s source; the melody of this tune is also used for a song and for a reel; the tune / song has multiple titles; the (original?) jig version was composed by Walker Jackson, first published in 1780 – the title given to it by Jackson was ‘Cossey’s Jig’]
2. The Castlebar Races [This was the title given on the James Morrison recording, which might well have been PC’s source]
Track I – Jig: The Rose in the Heather
Track J – Reel: Lucy Campbell
Track K – Jigs:
1. Coppers and Brass / The Humours of Ennistymon [For further info – including many other titles for this venerable tune (of which PC has a non-standard version) – see: https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Coppers_and_Brass_(2)]
2. The Humours of Kesh / Jackson’s [Recorded by Michael Coleman as ‘Jackson’s’; for info – including many other titles – see: https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Jackson%27s_Jig_(3) ]
1. Coppers and Brass / The Humours of Ennistymon [For further info – including many other titles for this venerable tune (of which PC has a non-standard version) – see: https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Coppers_and_Brass_(2)]
2. The Humours of Kesh / Jackson’s [Recorded by Michael Coleman as ‘Jackson’s’; for info – including many other titles – see: https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Jackson%27s_Jig_(3) ]
Track L – Hornpipe: The New Century Hornpipe
Track M – Hornpipe:
McDermott’s [PC here follows the Michael Coleman configuration on his 1922 recording, where two different hornpipes are played together as one four-part tune; the first tune (i.e., the first two parts) is ‘The Galway Hornpipe’, and the second tune (i.e., parts 3 and 4) is the one commonly known nowadays as ‘McDermott’s’ (obviously derived from the Coleman recording)]
McDermott’s [PC here follows the Michael Coleman configuration on his 1922 recording, where two different hornpipes are played together as one four-part tune; the first tune (i.e., the first two parts) is ‘The Galway Hornpipe’, and the second tune (i.e., parts 3 and 4) is the one commonly known nowadays as ‘McDermott’s’ (obviously derived from the Coleman recording)]
Track N – Set Dance: The Garden of Daisies [The melody of this tune is also used for songs, e.g., ‘Sliabh Gael gCua na Féile’; ‘The Palatine’s Daughter’; and perhaps other(s)…]
Track O – Set dance: The Humours of Bandon [This is another performance of the tune at track B]
Track P – Reel: Lord Gordon [Here PC reproduces the Michael Coleman setting of this tune]
Track Q – Reel: The First House in Connacht
Track R – Hornpipe: McCarthy’s Hornpipe [For more info, see: https://thesession.org/tunes/4628 ]
Track S – Hornpipe: Harvest Home
Track T – Reel: Sheehan’s Reel
Jackie Small comments are in square brackets [thus….] and PC [= Paddy Cronin]