FTX-172 - THE FOX CHASE

Outstanding player of the Uillean bagpipes recorded by Peter Kennedy in 1965 at the Fladh Cheoil, Clones and the First National Folk Festival, which he organised at Keele University. At the Fladh, Felix is joined by 5 other pipers: Leo ROWSOME, Sean SEERY, Dan DOHERTY, Pat Mc NULTY and Seamus DOWLING, and at Keele, he introduced, to a young and excited audience, the descriptive piece, THE FOX CHASE, and held their interest with his dance tunes and slow airs: THE COOLIN and BODENSTOWN GRAVEYARD.

1. Instrumental: THE FOX CHASE/ FOXHUNTER'S JIG (talk before) - 3'16"

2. Reels: THE PIGEON ON THE GATE/ MISS MONAGHAN'S - 2'16"

3. Jig: THE LARK IN THE MORN - 1'28"

4. Air: THE COOLIN - 2'53"

5. Reel: THE ASH PLANT - 1'30"

6. Air: IN BODENSTOWN GRAVEYARD - 3'09"

7. Air: SLIAB NA MBAN (The White Mountain) - 2'54"

8. Reels: GEORGE WHITE'S FAVOURITE/ THE IVY LEAF - 1'40"

9. Jig: SCATTER THE MUD - 1'39"

10. Hornpipe: THE QUARRELSOME PIPER - 1'42"

11. Set Dance: BRAVE RODNEY'S GLORY - 1'35"

12. Reels: THE PIGEON ON THE GATE/ MISS MONAGHAN'S - 2'54"

13. Jigs: THE RAMBLING PITCHFORK/ THE COOK IN THE KITCHEN - 2'10"

Tracks #1-6 recorded by Peter Kennedy at the first post-war National Folk Festival at Keele University Campus, 17th July 1965. Tracks #7-13 recorded by Peter Kennedy and Pete Seeger at the Fladh Cheoil, Clones, Co. Monaghan, 18th. May, 1964. For the last two tracks, #12 and #13, Felix is joined by all the other Uillean pipers who were performing at the Fladh: Leo Rowsome, Sean Seery, Pat McNulty, Dan Doherty & Seamus Dowling.

Edited by Peter Kennedy and first published by Folktrax 1975.

FELIX DORAN (born c.1915), he died at Manchester in 1972, being buried at Rathnew, Co Wicklow. He was a famous "traveller",. originally from Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, well-known for his appearances at fairs and football matches in Ireland, and, with the coming of competitive festivals, as a champion and prize-winner on many occasions. Many members of his family also excelled as both pipers and step-dancers. His great grandfather was Johnny Cash (1853-1890). See O'Neill's IRISH MINSTRELS AND MUSICIANS (Chicago, 1913) p.254. His brother was Johnny Doran who died in 1951 after a wall fell on his caravan. Felix was one of a number of Irish traditional singers and instrumentalists invited to the first Keele National Folk Festival, which included, amongst the musicians from Ireland, Margaret Barry, Michael Gorman, the McPeake Family and Packie Byrne. At the time Felix was living in a caravan near Manchester.

THE UILLEAN PIPES. According to O'Neill, the term "Uillean", meaning elbow or joint, also, rather hopefully, called "Union", refers to the bellows-blown bagpipes, but the pipes, at first, as in Scotland, were mouth-blown and called "War Pipes" and are noted as having been in use in Ireland since the end of the 16th Century. However it was not until the 18th Century that the bellows-pipes were developed, the first performer being Larry Grogan of Wexford and the first collection, O'Farrell's NATIONAL IRISH MUSIC FOR THE UNION PIPES, which appeared at the turn of the century. The pipes then had one keyed drone called a "regulator". These were later increased to three, then five. It was further developed with the use of a leather pad on the right knee to enable the chanter to be played either open or closed. This and the use of the regulators, to bring in drones as required, is what gives the Uillean pipes their distinctive sound.