FTX-250
- COLD BLOW & A RAINY NIGHT
Mrs CROTTY'S CEILIDHE BAND
Mrs Crotty's Ceilidhe Band with 8 songs & 9 dances led by Paddy REARDON
(Vocals, whistle, flute, guitar, bass & tambourine), Peter STEVENS (fiddle
& mandolin) & Martin RUDER (guitar & whistle). Here recorded at a
live session at "The Dartmouth Inn", Totnes, Devon, the Band is named
after the much respected Irish concertina player from Kilrush, Co. Clare.
1. A SET OF JIGS: The Greengrocer & his wife/ The Muckin' o' Geordie's
Byre/ Just the Thing/ Paddy Carey. The first whistle tune was composed by Rod
Ward, the band's founder - like many English musicians with a love of Irish
music, he has given it an Irish sound - 2'18"
2. RATTLING ROARIN' WILLIE: A Scottish song, usually attributed to Robert Burns,
which is in 9/8 hop-jig rhythm - 2'43".
3. TWO SCOTCH REELS: Twas within a mile o' Edinburgh Toon/ The Bottom of the
Punch Bowl. These are known to the band as their "Rattlin' an' Roarin'" tunes
- 1'56"
4. CHILDGROVE/ HEWLETT: 17th Century tune from John Playford's "Compleat Dancing
Master" followed by one composed by the celebrated Irish harper, Turlough Carolan
(1670-1738) - 3'31"
5. THE LITTLE DRUMMER: A song noted in both Scotland and Newfoundland from
Irish settlers but probably of English origin. It's amazing what you can achieve
if you are ready to shoot yourself - 3'05"
6. THE SIEGE OF ENNIS: Irish dance for two couples facing two couples, using
two polkas, The Rattling Bog/ Farewell to Whisky - 2'48"
7. THE BEGGARMAN SONG: An Irish Street Ballad which goes to the reel or hornpipe
The Red-haired Boy. Begging can't be all this song makes it out to be
- 3'53"
8. O KEEFE'S SLIDE: A Round Dance for couples from County Kerry with a local
tune played by Padraig O Keefe which has now become widely known - 1'01"
9. PRAB SAN OL (ANOTHER ROUND): An Irish Gaelic drinking song distilled into
English by that wild bunch of musicians, The Dubliners. It has a very poetic
approach to drinking - 1'16"
10, FINEGAN'S WAKE: A Dublin Music-Hall song which graphically describes a
full- blooded Irish wake. Reputedly the source for James Joyce's great novel
- 2'39"
11. TWO POLKAS: Denis Murphy's/ Johnny Ryan's. These polkas have no names,
so they now take those of the two fiddlers heard playing them - 2'17"
12. THE HOT ASH-PELT: Another Irish Street ballad collected by Peter Kennedy
from John McLaverty in Belfast. It goes to the old march tune, Napoleon Crossing
the Alps. Did Boney use bitumen on his way to Moscow? To be sure - 2'53"
13. THREE SCOTCH REELS: The Floo'ers of Edinburgh/ Aul' Donal'/ Roxburgh Castle.
Country Dances tunes which the band use to get the folks dancing: "The Dashing
White Sergeant" - 4'08"
14. COLD BLOW AND A RAINY NIGHT Why are the girls in these ballads so easily
seduced and the boys such swines ? - 2'44"
15. THE TREES ARE GROWING TALL: A version learned from Dominic Behan with words
from his brother, Brendan. I'm afraid we have taken liberties with both words
and tune - 3'02"
16. LA RUSSE: A popular English quadrille collected by Peter Kennedy in Northumberland
in 1950. What were the French up to with this Russian lady, we wonder? - 1'55"
17. THE LAST DANCE: The Flower of the Flock/ Mrs Crotty's Reel. (We understand
that Mrs Crotty's daughter, Peggy, keeps a pub in Kilrush, Co Clare, so, with
this last tune, we send her our best wishes) ("Time" is called for last orders
at the bar with a drum-rattle heard before this last item item) - 2'53"
Recorded live at The Dartmouth Inn, Totnes, Devon & Soundpost Studios by
Peter Kennedy 28th May 1980. Edited by Peter Kennedy and first published on
Folktrax cassettes 1980.
