FTX-079 - MUSIC AT THE GATE

SEAMUS ENNIS - IRISH PIPES

Seamus ENNIS (1919-1982), outstanding Irish folklore collector & musician, here recorded by Peter Kennedy in 1958 - 15 songs in English with one, a fairy lullaby, in Gaelic, 2 dandling songs, 5 tunes on he Uillean (bellows blown) pipes, some mouth-music, tin-whistle and fiddle playing, the pick of all the Ennis recordings on FOLKTRAX, demonstrating the remarkable versatlity and authenticity of this great legend among Irish collectors and musicians

1. MY FATHER AND MOTHER WERE IRISH - 2'34"

2. THE BANKS OF THE ROSES (tune on fiddle & song) - 2'31"

3. MOLLY BAWN - 4'24"

4. THE PRATIES ARE DUG (with mouth-music) - 1'47"

5. THE NEW DEMESNE (Instrumental on Uillean pipes) - 2'06"

6. THE BONNY BOY IS YOUNG BUT HE'S GROWING - 5'18"

7. THE WHISTLING THIEF - 2'02"

8. THE TRIP OVER THE MOUNTAIN (Instrum on U-pipes) - 1'20"

9. BRIAN O LINN - 1'47"

10.CAPTAIN WEDDERBURN'S COURTSHIP - 4'14"

11. THE MOUNTAIN DEW - 2'08"

12. UNCLE RAT WENT OUT TO RIDE - 2'55"

13. THE BOYNE HUNT (Reel on U-pipes) - 1'18"

14. SHO-HEEN SHO-HO (Fairy Lullaby) - 2'19"

15. MUSIC AT THE GATE (Instrum on tin-whistle) - 0'41"

16. THE OLD ORANGE FLUTE (Percy French) - 2'57"

17. CALM AVONREE - 2'40"

18. CUCANANDY NANDY/ THE OLD WOMAN TOSSED UP IN A BLANKET (with mouth- music & whistle) - 3'02"

19. LORD GREGORY (Child Ballad #76) - 5'35"

20. THE BROWN THORN (Slow Air on U-pipes) - 1'23"

21. FOOTBALL CRAZY - 2'20"

22. THE HERRING SONG - 1'56"

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.

Other FOLKTRAX recordings of Seamus: FT-169 (songs), FT-302 (Tales & Instrumentals) & FT-374 (Pipe music)