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We’re back with another playlist exploring the Redican, MacMahon and Davis collections donated to ITMA. This month’s playlist is largely devoted to the legendary fiddle player Seán McGuire.
We return to the MacMahon collection with Noel Hill and the late Tony MacMahon, a formidable duo on concertina and accordion over many years playing both in concert venues and informal settings. In the early 1990s, Tony and Noel were joined by John Beag Ó Flatharta on a tour of Ireland visiting Kilkenny, Dundalk and Dublin among other venues. Luckily the gigs were recorded by Steve Moran and this month we have a collection of tunes from that tour showcasing their collective and individual virtuosities. In addition, we include an unique track of Tony playing with the late Paddy Maloney for a competition (perhaps the Oireachtas) around 1961 with an intro by Ciarán Mac Mathúna.
The remainder of this playlist is devoted to the legendary fiddle player Seán McGuire. Seán lived in New York for a period in the 1950s and soon enjoyed celebrity status among fellow musicians there and beyond. Larry Redican arranged some private recordings of McGuire with what sounds like fellow fiddle players present, all enjoying McGuire’s virtuosity and unique style. His Sally Gardens especially exemplifies his ability to introduce colourful variations on the background of a well known (and often overplayed) tune. This is vintage early McGuire with his varied repertoire combining control, restraint with flights of imagination only he could produce.
Enjoy,
Pádraic
