The Irish Have Long Memories...

My brother and his wife had visitors from Canada.  They had never been to Ireland before and when we joined them for a barbeque my brother told them that I was the one who’d explain about the Bricklieve Cairns which overlooked his house.

\Photo credit; Kiaran McHugh.com

The Cairns are known as Carrowkeel and through carbon dating it has been estimated that they are over five thousand years old and predate the Egyptian Pyramids.  Carrowkeel is one of the largest passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland.

We headed up the mountain by car and took the short walk to the cairns which have majestic views over Lough Arrow, Lough Key and the counties of Sligo and Roscommon.  Jim and his wife were suitably impressed by the location and ancient monuments and I did my best to interpret their significance.

Over dinner Jim asked how long were our family living in the area and we explained that we were ‘Blow Ins’.  Naturally, this expression was foreign to a Canadian and our children were aghast; ‘Blow Ins?’ this was their home.

As we stood in the bright sunlight I explained that our mothers’ people came from 5 miles over to the east and our fathers’ people came from 14 miles to the west of where we were.  Our mother was Roscommon, and father Sligo.  Jim just about collapsed with laughter and made the remark that we spoke of living 5000 years ago as if it were yesterday and limited our residency by milliseconds.

Our conversation expanded as our guests tried to come to grips with our status.  ‘Is a Blow
In illegitimate or somehow lesser than a local? who or what determined territory? Were we Irish at all?’
So I told the story of our grand uncle who was driving his car in Leitrim.  At the time there were very few cars in the countryside and the traffic hazards consisted of sheep, cows and the odd stray goat on the road.  Vehicular congestion comprised of two neighbours chatting as their donkeys grazed on the roadside whilst the men sat on their carts and enjoyed a smoke.  Uncle Martin nearly drove up their arses and just managed to avoid a collision as did another car coming behind him.

Naturally this drew the attention of neighbours in the adjoining field who were saving hay and a gaggle of men and women formed around the near accident.  Conscience clear, pipes smoked and it being near tea time the crowd dispersed.  One of the labourers was heading to the town and the second driver of the car offered a lift which was declined with courtesy.Martin was still chatting and as he drove slowly forward, the man heading to town signalled him for a lift.  On reaching the town Martin casually asked why the passenger hadn’t taken the first lift offered and he responded ‘era you couldn’t take a lift of that fella, his people stole the horses off The French’.

Now, if you don’t know your history and you’re not Irish this story is nonsensical.  In 1798 when French troops sailed to Ireland to support Irish rebels against the British forces they landed on Killable Bay in County Mayo, and travelled through Sligo and Leitrim to the scene of their final battle and defeat at Ballinamuck, in County Longford. Martin’s passenger in one sentence had obliterated any opportunity for the other car owner to forget his pedigree.

IRISH TWINS

The term Irish Twins was unique to me until the early 1970's.  There was a family near us who had returned to Ireland with their three children.   'The Twins' and a younger sister.  Their father was from the parish and their mother was from the neighbouring county.  The father was very quiet in comparison to The Mother....she knew everything and everyone, joined committees, good causes and attended mass regularly.  All of her efforts would be destroyed with a barbed remark or the foretelling of news before anyone else would have it.  Self analysis would not have been her strong suit and she had the happy knack of spreading news like wildfire.  Having said that, she was not malicious, merely unfortunate in her remarks.

Her less charitable neighbours would mutter under their breaths or ask her publicly about The Twins regularly.  I noticed the conversations but was at a loss to understand how The Mother would bluster or fidget when responding to the enquiries which appeared to be solicitous but carried some mysterious undercurrent.

Some months previously the news of an impending birth had hit the parish.  The girl was unmarried and whilst people may have been sympathetic to her case, no public comments of support for the young girl were voiced.  My parents and their peers were very upset for the girl and her family.  She was young, came of good stock and the girl's welfare and that of her extended family was of great concern.  The father had absconded.  Some of the elderly relatives had not been told of the girls predicament.

After another social gaffe episode involving The Mother of The Twins I asked my mother what was the mystery and she told me that The Mother had married and left the parish on honeymoon and the couple had emigrated.  Subsequently a baby boy was born and 11 months later, a second son was delivered.  The boys were both born in the same year so therefore became Irish Twins!  Maths not being my strong suit, I still didn't get the subtlety;  The bride was pregnant when she married so in order to keep the good side out; when the family returned to Ireland, The Twins got the birth date of the second son.

Apparently nobody minded the subterfuge but every time The Mother imparted gossip, it rankled with the parish.

At a large social gathering for the area, an elderly aunt of the pregnant girl was present.  Several manoeuvres were conducted to keep her out of the range of The Mother and all went well until refreshments were being served and whilst the Aunt waited for her tea to be poured by The Mother, The Mother enquired 'how is your niece?'  The air was sucked out of the hall like a vacuum and the revellers froze in a state of suspended animation as the Aunt responded 'why do you ask?' As the tea poured out in slow motion The Mother leaned forward imparting an aura of confidentially and sympathy and imported 'the news' in grave tones.  The Aunt genteelly placed sugar in her tea and asked was her niece coping with the pregnancy and The Mother responded that she was well but very big.  As The Aunt reached for the milk and straightened herself up she looked at The Mother straight between the eyes and said 'Perhaps she's having twins'.

PETER HORAN TAKES TO THE PITCH

What is it about the human psyche that we cannot accept our natural gifts?  My late father Peter Burke loved traditional music and was an athletic and handsome man.  He played at minor level for his County beloved Sligo; and won Silver at the Collooney Fleadh for playing the fiddle.  He admired athleticism and all of the maxims of life were delivered with a sporting theme.  As a child, when faced with a dilemma or indecision his response was 'you're either on the pitch or off, make your mind up'.  

One of dad's contemporaries was Peter Horan.  Horan is revered and remembered for his interpretation of traditional Irish music and sense of mischief.  Both friends admired each others skill and had a wistful envy and sadness that they could not both compete in the same arena.

In company, the two Peters always greeted each other with a question.  Neither of them would answer the question which was puzzling to the onlooker but was entirely clear to the pair of bucks who would then burst out laughing.  

Often as not, Burke would ask Horan "why did you kick it?" and Horan would retort "why wouldn't I take the chance?"  Naturally, the others in the room would be curious to know 'the story' and the boys didn't disappoint.  Whilst Horan assembled his flute he would wax lyrically about Burke's prowess on the field.  Burke would return the compliment by extolling Horan's ability as a flute player.  Others would join in the exchange by recalling a moment on the football pitch or the rendition of a tune by Horan.  Eventually some one would ask Horan was he ever a football player and thus provide an opening for the story.....

Apparently there was a football match to be played; a local derby which would be keenly challenged and attended by both parishes.  It was to be an away match and a lot of 'the lads' worked away from home so getting the team together was always difficult.  No mobile phones, very few cars and even bicycles were scarce.  

The day of the match arrived and as the Bunninnadden team arrived in ones and twos they realised that they were a man short and the pitch was underwater in places.  The hosting team would win by default until someone suggested Horan as a substitute and the game was on.  The team strategy was decided; if the ball came to Horan he was to immediately hand pass it away as he had two left feet. 

The battle raged on the pitch, against the odds and the waterlogged pitch, our boys were winning by a point. The ball came to Horan and in a fit of exuberance he kicked it.....right into the hands of the opposition who scored a goal and won the match.

The weary teams assembled in the pub, the match was replayed and as the pints were lowered one of the opposing teams remarked loudly that it had been a great match to which Horan replied, 'sure ye beat us in water; next time we'll play you on land'

The picture below is of Peter Horan and his friend Fred Finn in a typical pose..... more anon.

HOUSE CONCERT WITH JESSE SMITH, SEAN GAVIN & JOHN BLAKE

Just before Christmas 2014, our young neighbour James Carty who is also a proficient traditional Irish musician had been chatting to Jesse Smith, another fine fiddler from Baltimore USA about the House Concert phenomenon in the USA.

Jesse was surprised that there were none in Ireland, especially when the Rambling House had been such a part of the social life in Ireland up to the 1960's.
James remarked that his neighbours had a fine room which was well versed in the art of partying and that we were keen on traditional music.  The dye was cast, and Jesse contacted me with the notion.  Nothing ventured; nothing gained…. we decided to give it a go.  Despite my physical frailty, I make a good Armchair Director!  We determined a date and the multi talented John Blake and Sean Gavin from Chicago made up the musical trio.

In a fit of self-doubt I contacted Keith Conroy a Sound Engineer from Boyle and we collared John Carty & our Sarah to test the acoustics of the room.  Not many artists can boast that a Gradam Ceol holder did their sound check!  Keith christened the duo ‘The Knockroe Rousers’ and decided to elevate their position with a rostrum whist our Conor swiped the Christmas lights from the attic to light up the proceedings.'The Knockroe Rousers' deemed the room 'Sound' so and secure in the knowledge that our musical guests were ‘top shelf’ we extended personal invitations to our home.

'My Reason For Living' assisted with parking whilst the rest of the household did meet, greet and seat.  Our friends and friends of friends gathered with bits to eat and a little libation;

Well…… not since I was a small child did I hear or see such a spectacle! Jesse, Sean and John took to the stage and immediately sensed the air of expectancy.  The audience knew what they hoped to hear and the aura was so strong that it took our musicians aback .  John explained later that at a concert venue one prepares a running order but because the audience is a little distant, the musicians have to work hard to set the tone.  In this instance, the audience were almost sitting on their laps, knew the music, were prepared for greatness and could put names on places and origins of tunes.  Within minutes our room became a sanctuary.  Every variation of a tune was met by a resounding sigh, hup or gentle acknowledgement. Banter was exchanged, locations of tunes were identified and we rollicked the house for an hour and broke for a libation.

One of our young guests is a dancer but he was wearing soft shoes.  Undaunted, Maureen Carty propositioned every male with brogues until she got a pair to fit Ryan Owens and off we went again.  Young Ryan acquitted himself well despite the fact that he was on a dangerously polished floor. 

The second half of the proceedings commenced with gusto.  Sean played the illuainn pipes which proved difficult because of the heat rising in the room. Windows were opened but the effect was worse, to sympathetic and understanding chatter the pipes were abandoned and it was at that point I realised that there were 27 musicians in the audience! To my knowledge we had Connaught and County Champions from All Ireland Fleadhs together with two Gradam Ceoil Winners sitting in the front row.

Jesse Smith introduced a tune; he believed it came from near Killaville, Bernard McGuire identified it as from Henry’s Cross at Doocastle and then explained to the two ‘Yanks’ that they were only 15 miles from the location and off they went again to rapturous applause.

All the while John Blake sat, master of all he surveyed as he led, followed and worked his keyboard like a spider creating a web, completely unobtrusive yet leaving a masterpiece behind him every time.

As the music soared and swooped throughout the house, every foot tapping and the little rostrum bobbing from the vibration I thought to myself of the 46 musicians in my ancestors home in Doocastle and vowed I'd make a brave attempt to match the sentiment of Arthur O'Neill  At the hour this hospitable gentleman's customary meeting was finished, some guests contiguous to their own places went away, but those who lived some miles off remained ; and in order to accommodate them Mr. and Mrs. Irwin lay on chairs that night in the parlour. For my own part I never spent a more agreeable night, either in bed or out of bed."The Memoirs of Arthur O'Neill (1734-1818)

Kevin Burke Comes To Eastersnow

The way I heard it is that John Carty was chatting Kevin Burke who was planning to come to Cork and thought he’d swing by Carty’s.  Burke is based in Oregon in the USA so I suppose landing in Dublin and going to Cork via Knockroe Townland seemed logical.  Anyway, some way or other the subject of house concerts came up and John sez to Kevin, 'The Egans in Knockroe have never heard of you!'  Naturally this story was being recounted in Dickie Beirne’s Emporium at Eastersnow with the aid of a couple of creamy pints.  My Reason for Living was highly entertained and knew that if Burke was in the vicinity we’d go to see him play. 

Kevin’s Burke’s CD ‘If the Cap Fits’ has been worn to a thread in our house and the final set of reels is a particular favourite of mine.  When our Sarah started to play the fiddle I’d told her when she mastered that set she’d be sorted….

Well somewhere between Dickies and Carty’s, Kevin contacted me via email saying that John Carty would put in a good word for him and perhaps he’d be welcome at our house in November!

Kevin was playing in Sligo at the Master’s Concert for the Fleadh.  We had tickets and were also looking forward to seeing John Blake again so when the gig ended we hit to the stage door to introduce ourselves.  ‘Mr Burke’ sez I, I’m your date for November, ‘very good’ sez Burke with the aplomb of a man being accosted by groupies on a regular basis.

The night closed in as it does in November, the usual suspects had arrived and with a flourish the Carty’s arrived with Kevin and his brother Noel.  We settled them into the front room whilst people were meeting, greeting and seating.

As I passed by the doorway I heard the strains of Aherlow and without thinking literally burst into the room and screeched ‘are you playing that?’.  ‘Yes’ responded his lordship and I left the room with my eyes blurred with tears… it was the first tune my little Sarah had mastered.  The emotional thump hit me in the solar plexus… I thought of my late father,  Arthur O’Neill’s night to remember in Irwins, The Bergonzi Fiddle, John Carty gently slagging our Sarah about Burke and the enormity of it all almost overwhelmed me.

Our room was full as was the kitchen as Kevin settled himself.  During the interval our guests; some who had little interest or knowledge in traditional music expressed their delight at Kevin’s international repertoire.  I was too happy to care what anyone thought.

John Carty joined Kevin for the second half.  As they played I literally was stuck to the chair.

The final set was over and as I raised my head I saw John nod to Sarah, I thought he wanted a glass; she pulled up a chair and tucked her fiddle under her arm….my alarm and panic grew; Like Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice who was torn between loyalty to her family and her public embarrassment when her not so gifted sister insisted on playing piano, this was a potentially calamitous situation. 

I never heard what Kevin or John said as they introduced our daughter.  My eyes frantically searched for my husband who stood at the jamb of the door and just smiled benignly at me.  Sarah started and the two Masters played with her, I lowered my head; unable to look and even when I realized that she had nailed it I still could not look as the sound soared and swooped, laughed and tickled around the room whilst our daughter was escorted through the tunes by the generosity and courtesy of the gentlemen. 

Serendipity.