2. Patrick O'Leary Manuscript
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Patrick O’Leary was born in Drungoon, near Cootehill, Co. Cavan in 1851. He immigrated to America and from there to Australia, where he lived in Adelaide for the remainder of his life. He was a fine fiddle player and an acquaintance of Francis O’Neill, who also knew O’Leary’s brother, Owen and his sister, Mrs Kelsey, both of whom lived in Chicago. (Irish Minstrels & Musicians, O’Neill, 1913).
Patrick corresponded with O’Neill and sent him a small collection of tunes he composed in 1922. I received this copy as part of the music items kindly donated to me from the estate of Phil Durkin. One interesting observation is each tune has a comment (fair, OK, etc.) notated in pencil and the final comment is signed SON (Selina O’Neill ?) ……. possibly Selena’s review and comment on each tune as she was selecting one to include in Waifs & Strays, which was first published in the same year (1922). |
(1851 – ?)
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Tunes:
1 . The Drumgoon Reel 2 . Mollie Doherty’s Hornpipe 3. The Drumlona** Reel 4 . Myles the Slasher Reel 5 . O’Leary’s Hornpipe 6. The Exile’s Dream Reel 7 . Rochelle Rudolph Hornpipe* * Included in Waifs & Strays published by O’Neill in 1922 in which O’Neill quotes as source: “Inspired by the visit of a relative, the first of his blood to greet him at the antipodes, since as a youth he left his native Cavan, Mr. O’Leary commemorated the occasion by the composition of this fine hornpipe in her name” ** Drumlona Lough is on the border of Cavan and Monaghan |
