FTX-374 - THE MOUNTAIN OF WOMEN

SEAMUS ENNIS - Uillean Pipes

A selection of 24 tunes played by one of the great pipers of all time recorded by Peter Kennedy in 1958. This is a varied selection, made by Seamus himself, to demonstrate the scope of the Uillean pipes, the most highly developed of all European bagpipes including 5 slow airs, 9 reels, 5 jigs, 4 hornpipes and a set dance: JOCKEY TO THE FAIR. The Airs include: THE MOUNTAIN OF THE WOMEN, THE LAMENT OF THE FOX, DARK LADY OF THE GLEN, WERE YOU AT THE ROCK? & THE TWISTING OF THE HAY-ROPE.

1. THE MOUNTAIN OF THE WOMEN (Air) - 3'20"

2. THE LAMENT OF THE FOX (Air) - 4'02"

3. THE MORNING BRUSH/ THE DUBLIN REEL - 3'32"

4. CHIEF O' NEILL'S/ THE BOYS OF BLUEHILL (Hornpipes) - 2'18"

5. JOCKEY TO THE FAIR (Set Dance) - 1'44"

6. TATTER JACK WELSH/ PADDY O RAFFERTY (Jigs) - 3'22"

7. THE GROVES HORNPIPE - 3'51"

8. THE CONNAUGHT HEIFER/ THE BRAES OF BUSBY (Reels) - 3'12"

9. THE DARK LADY OF THE GLEN (Air) - 3'03"

10. THE LEITRIM LILT (Reel) - 1'05"

11. KELLY'S/ BALLYMANUS FAIR (Hornpipes) - 3'13"

12. WERE YOU AT THE ROCK? (Air) - 2'15"

13. TWISTING THE HAY-ROPE (Air) - 2'26"

14. CAVAN BRIGADE/ WHEN THE COCK CROWS/ SIXPENNY MONEY (Jigs) - 3'07"

15. RAINY DAY/ MERRY BLACKSMITH'S/ MISS LANE'S FANCY (Reels) - 3'32"

Recorded by Peter Kennedy, London, 22nd. March, 1958. Edited by Peter Kennedy and first published on Folktrax cassettes 1975.

Seamus ENNIS, born Jamestown, Dublin. His father, who worked for the Irish government, played fiddle, flute and mouth-blown bagpipes ("War Pipes"). His mother, from Co Monaghan, also played fiddle and encouraged her son's interest in traditional music. After leaving Commercial College in Dublin in 1938, Seamus worked with Colm O Lochlainn at the Three Candles Press, where he developed his interest and knowledge of folk song.

In 1942 he joined the Irish Folklore Commission as a collector and during the following five years travelled Southern Ireland and Western Scotland meticulously transcribing and memorising hundreds of Gaelic songs and melodies. He also translated Gaelic songs for the Hebridean collection of John Lorne Campbell.

In 1947 he joined Radio Eireann and it was during this period that he acted as a guide to the American collector, Alan Lomax. As a result of this encounter, Seamus was to join Peter Kennedy in 1951 recording for BBC Sound Archive (then called Recorded Programmes Library) and for the following 15 years took part in the weekly "As I roved Out" radio programmes devised by Peter.

See also FTX-079 (Songs, pipes & whistle), FTX-169 (Songs & fiddle) and FTX-302 (Folktales & pipe-tunes).