FTX- 163 - THE MOUNTAIN STREAMS

Brigid & Paddy Tunney & Mick Gallagher

Three members of the famous Tunney family, a remarkable family of folk-singers at Belleek,Co.Fermanagh, N.Ireland, who were extensively recorded in 1952 by Sean O Boyle and Peter Kennedy. Paddy introduces his mother, Brigid, who remembers 13 songs, Paddy himself sings 2 songs, LOUGH ERNE'S SHORE and the Jacobite ROYAL BLACKBIRD, and there are also 4 from his uncle, Brigid's brother, Michael Gallagher, TANDARAGEE, BAILIFF MAGLYN, THE HIRING TIME and the now popular version of AS I ROVED OUT (here called DELUDED LOVER).

Brigid Tunney:-

1. THE MOUNTAIN STREAMS - 4'02"

2. THE HEATHERY HILLS (talk before) - 3'50"

3. DRITHEAIRIN-O-MO-CHROIDHE (talk before) - 1'58"

4. CAPTAIN COLSTON (talk before & between verses) - 5'13"

5. THE BONNY BUNCH OF ROSES-O (talk before) - 2'29"

6. WEE PADDY MOLLOY (talk before - 1'59"

7. THE SOLDIER AND THE SAILOR (talk before) - 1'58"

8. EARLY, EARLY, ALL IN THE SPRING (THE CROPPY BOY) - 2'42"

9. MURLOUGH MARY - 2'44"

10. Talk about #1, 8 and 9 - 1'37"

Brigid Tunney (cont):-

11. DRINKING GOOD WHISKY (with Paddy in ch) - 1'46"

12. EASTER SNOW (talk before) - 2'31"

13. BURNS AND HIS HIGHLAND MARY (talk before) - 3'25"

14. THE WEE WEAVER (talk before) - 2'03"

Paddy Tunney:-

15. LOUGH ERNE'S SHORE (talk before) - 3'28"

16. THE ROYAL BLACKBIRD (talk before) - 4'19"

Michael Gallagher (Paddy's uncle):-

17. THE ROLLICKING BOYS AROUND TANDARAGEE - 2'35"

18. THE DEVIL AND BAILIFF MAGLYN (talk before also about previous song) - 2'23"

19. THE HIRING TIME (talk before) - 2'05"

20. THE DELUDED LOVER (talk before) - 3'03"

Tracks #1-10 Brigid Tunney (interviewed by her son, Paddy), #11-14 Bridget Tunney (interviewed by Sean O Boyle), #15-16 Paddy Tunney & #17-20 Michael Gallagher (Bridget's brother & Paddy's "Uncle Mick")

Recorded by Peter Kennedy 1952. Edited by Peter Kennedy and first published by Folktrax 1975.

BRIGID TUNNEY was born in Rusheen, Co. Donegal in May 1886. Her father's name was Gallagher and her mothers, Meehan. Both families were farmers from Tower, Pettigo in Donegal. In her youth Brigid traveled back and forth between Rusheen in Donegal and Glasgow in Scotland. She married in Glasgow and moved to Fermanagh in 1927. THE MOUNTAIN STREAMS she learned from her aunt, Mary Gallagher in Tower; THE CROPPY BOY from Frank Gallagher of Crannog, "a big fine- looking man with a sweet voice" (She heard many other versions in the locality but thought this had the nicest air); MURLOUGH MARY came from her mother, Mary Meehan, and her grandfather Meehan on the Donegal-Fermanagh border. All her children were recorded by Peter Kennedy: her sons, Paddy, Michael and Joe, and her daughters, Annie Lunney and Maureen Melly.

MICHAEL GALLAGHER, Brigid's brother, Paddy's Uncle Mick, was born in 1891 and, when recorded, was working as a boot repairer in Belleek. Previously he had been a farmer, and before that lived 33 years in Glasgow. Like his sister, he learned his songs from his parents and grandparents on both sides of the family, as well as from aunts, uncles and others. THE DELUDED LOVER was from his aunt, Brigid, in Ballintra, Donegal. The title for this song was provided by the collectors; Michael called it AS I ROVED OUT.

PADDY TUNNEY, Brigid's son, can be heard in full on FT-164: WHEN A MAN'S IN LOVE/ OUR WEDDING DAY/ JOHNNY LOVELY JOHNNY/ LOWLANDS OF HOLLAND/ TAVRIN GREEN/ GREEN FIELDS OF AMERICA/ CRAIGY HILLS/ BANKS OF THE TWEED/ PRINCE CHARLIE STUART/ MARY ON THE BANKS OF THE LEE/ GREENWOOD LADDIE/ SHAMROCK SHORE/ PADDY'S RETURN/ ROCKING THE CRADLE/ bagpipe lilt/ BLACKBIRD lilted/ Old Hag's Rhyme & More Lilts/ BANKS OF DUNMORE