FTX-173 - THE WEST WIND

WILLIE CLANCY Uillean Pipes

Two outstanding players from Miltown Malbay: Clancy on Uillean Pipes and tin-whistle, with Bobby Casey on fiddle. Recorded by Seamus Ennis and Peter Kennedy in London 1956, they play solo and together: Slow airs and dance-tunes, including fiddle and pipe versions of THE DEAR IRISH BOY & other tunes learned from their fathers and travelling musicians. Since his death in 1973, Willie Clancy has become a legend among Irish musicians and is now remembered by the annual Musicians Summer School set up in his honour.

1. Two reels: THE BUSH/ CHICAGO REEL - U-pipes & fiddle - 2'31"

2. Hornpipe: POLL HALFPENNY - fiddle solo - 1'56"

3. REAVEY'S REEL - fiddle solo - 1'15"

4. ROWSOME'S SLIP JIG - U-pipes - 1'30"

5. Jig: ASK MY FATHER - fid & U-pipes - 1'17"

6. THE HARVEST HOME HORNPIPE - U-pipes - 2'13"

7. THE SWEEP'S HORNPIPE - U-pipes - 1'56"

8. Reels: THE WEST WIND/ SEAN REID'S FANCY - U-pipes & fid - 2'25"

9. Slip Jig: GIVE US A DRINK OF WATER - U-pipes - 0'58"

10. Air: THE DEAR IRISH BOY - fiddle solo - 2'08"

11. Air: THE DEAR IRISH BOY - U-pipes - 1'44"

12. Reel: JOHN IN THE MIST - fid solo - 2'02"

13. Reel: THE BEAUTY SPOT - fid solo - 1'15"

14. Reel: RAKISH PADDY - U-pipes - 1'59"

15. Talk by Willie about his music & travelling pipers, Garret Barry, John & Felix Doran with tune on whistle: THE FLOGGING REEL - 3'19"

16. Jig: MUNSTER BUTTERMILK - fid & U-pipes - 1'45"

17 Reel: CONNACHT HEIFERS - U-pipes - 1'10"

18. Air: THE BRIGHT LADY - whistle solo by Clancy - 1'16"

19. VARSOVIANA - U-pipes - 1'17"

20. Slip Jig: THE FOXHUNTERS - U-pipes - 1'16"

21. Song Air: THE RED HAIRED MAN'S WIFE - whistle 1'21"

22. Polka: JUMPING CHARLIE - whistle - 0'38"

23. Old Set tune: THOMPSON CATTY - whistle - 0'35"

24. OLD WALTZ - whistle - 0'45"

25. POLKA MAZURKA - U-pipes - 1'01"

26. JIG - U-pipes - 1'55"

27. JIG - U-pipes - 2'00

28. SLIP JIG - U-pipes - 1'05"

29. BANISH MISFORTUNE (Jig) - U-pipes - 1'12"

30. SLOW AIR - U-pipes - 2'30"

31. SLOW AIR - U-pipes - 1'24"

32. SLOW AIR - U-pipes - 2'12"

33. OLD HAG YOU HAVE KILLED ME (Jig) - U-pipes - 1'13"

34. JIG - U-pipes - 1'57"

35. Slip Jig: TOP IT OFF - U-pipes - 1'29"

36. JIG - U-pipes, fiddles & bodhran drum - 2'03"

37. REEL (As previous) - 1'54"

Recorded by Seamus Ennis & Peter Kennedy in London in 1956. Edited by Peter Kennedy and first published by Folktrax 1975.

WILLIE CLANCY (1918-1971) was born near Miltown Malbay, West Clare. Both his parents were singers and played the concertina. His father, Gilbert Clancy, best known for his flute playing, had a friend, the blind piper, Garrett Barry of Inagh, who died in 1900, and it was from him that he learned many of his tunes. Willie started on the tin-whistle at the age of 5, but it was not until he was 18 that he first heard the travelling piper, Johnny Doran, playing at the local races. Two years later he managed to get hold of a chanter, bag and bellows from Johnny's brother, Felix (see FTX-172), and, less than ten years later, Willie won first prize at the 1947 Oireachtas. It was in 1953, because of lack of work in Ireland, that he came to London and met up with Bobby Casey. Transcriptions of POLL HALFPENNY, ASK MY FATHER, HARVEST HOME, THE SWEEPS HORNPIPE, THE WEST WIND, SEAN REID'S, RAKISH PADDY & FLOGGING REEL may be found in Pat Mitchell's THE DANCE MUSIC OF WILLIE CLANCY (Mercier Press, Cork 1976).

BOBBY CASEY (b.1926), also from Miltown Malbay, inherits his fiddle-playing from his father, John 'Scully' Casey, who was well-known locally as a violinist and music teacher. John, like all the fathers of the best players, discouraged his son from touching his violin saying that it would ruin a good instrument "for a beginner to catch it". Usual story. When his father was out, Bobby seized his opportunity and took down the fiddle. One day his father came home, and showed surprise at his mastery, and from then on he would sit with him and help him. As teenager Bobby was already playing for house parties, crossroads dances and American Wakes. In his early years he played with Clancy, who was then playing fiddle and flute, and they both moved to Dublin, where they met up with John Kelly and Joe Ryan, and then to London, when this recordin was made. In 1954, Clancy returned to Ireland, but Bobby stayed, got married, and teamed up with Tommy McCarthy, piper and concertina-player.