O'Carolan's Beautiful Tunes

A couple weeks ago I attended the Hiram Irish Music Session organized by Professor Tina Dreisbach and her husband Paul. At this particular session Ellen Eckhouse played her harp. Among the songs she played was the O'Carolan tune "Eleanor Plunkett." I don't have a video of Ellen playing, but I found a nice video on Youtube of a fellow playing the tune, alterntating these instruments: Low D whistle; regular D penny whistle; and guitar. Here it is:


Turlough O'Carolan lived from 1670 to 1738 in Ireland. He was born in County Leitrim and grew up there and in County Roscommon. O'Carolan was struck with smallpox at age 18, which left him blind. To make a living, a patron apprenticed him to a harper. Three years later, with a horse and a guide, O'Carolan began traveling Ireland and playing and composing for his living. Often he would compose "planxties" to honor a patron--lots of these are extant and played throughout the world today. His tunes were accompanied by Irish lyrics. But what has survived to the present are the tunes; I've never even heard his lyrics sung.

It is said that his first tune was "Si Bheag, Si Mhor," which translates something like "Little Fairy Mound [or Hill], Big Fairy Mound." It is a magnificent tune, and one of my favorite. I first heard it around 1975 while at an old-timey fiddler festival near Union Grove, North Carolina--I was there with Timmy Jenkins (who, as far as I know, lives in Gays Mills, Wisconsin now). I can play this tune on piano, guitar, and whistle.

Other favorite O'Carolan tunes include:

Loftus Jones
O'Carolan's Draught
O'Carolan's Farewell to Music
Planxty Irwin
Hewlet
Fanny Power

I've heard these tunes on many recordings, including the works of Malcolm Dalglish and Grey Larsen, Joanie Madden and Cherish the Ladies, Patrick Ball, and many others. Many O'Carolan tunes are played at the Hiram session.

Karan Casey, the Great Irish Singer, at Cain Park

This past Saturday some friends and I saw Karan Casey and John Doyle perform at Evans Amphitheatre at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights. We got to see one of the world's great singers sing in one of Cleveland's best performance venues. The crowd was small but enthusiastic for Karen Casey's performance. I've seen this before when a world class artist plays before a small audience. One instance comes to mind around 1977 or so when Malcolm Dalglish, perhaps the world's greatest hammered dulcimer player, and Grey Larsen, flute, whistle, concertina, and fiddle player extraordinaire, played at Jim Tarbell's "Arnold's Bar and Grill" in Cincinnati to a very small audience (with no cover charge!). That night, as with this past Saturday, I felt both blessed and a little sad that great artistry is not always recognized.

I was aware of Karan Casey's extraordinary voice but knew nothing about John Doyle. I found him a very good singer and a tremendous guitarist. Casey and Doyle work very well together. They performed many songs from their latest cd--traditional folk songs, including a very old Childe ballad. Also included were some works from the Irish-American group Solas. One remarkable song was called "The World Turned Upside Down--The Diggers Song," and is set some 360 years ago in the era when English landlords were dispossessing the native Irish. Here are the powereful lyrics:

In sixteen forty-nine to Saint George's Hill


A ragged band they called the Diggers came to show the people's will

They defied the landlords, they defied the law

They were the dispossessed, reclaiming what was theirs



"We come in peace," they said, "to dig and sow

We come to work the land in common and to make the waste ground grow

This earth divided we will make whole

So it can be a common treasury for all



The sin of property we do disdain

No man has any right to buy and sell the earth for private gain

By theft and murder they steal the land

Now everywhere the walls rise up at their command



They make the laws to chain us well

The clergy dazzle us with heaven or they damn us into hell

We will not worship the god they serve

They god of greed who feeds the rich while poor folk starve



We work, we eat together, we need no swords

We will not bow to the masters or pay rent to the lords

Still we are free men though we are poor

You Diggers all, stand up for glory, stand up now"



From the men of property the order came

They sent the hired men and troopers to wipe out the Diggers' claim

Tear down their cottages, destroy their corn

They were dispersed, but still the vision carries on



You poor, take courage, you rich, take care

This earth was made a common treasury for everyone to share

All things in common, all people one

We come in peace, the order came to cut them down