FTX-376 - THE MAID OF THE HOUSE

SEAN MAGUIRE - Tin Whistle

An outstanding whistler, father of fiddler, Sean Maguire Junior, here plays a selection of reels, jigs, hornpipes from his own family collection and talks beforehand about each piece. Many of the tunes were learned from his father back home in Co. Cavan. For a selection of 3 reels & 3 jigs he is accompanied by his son, Sean Junior and both talk about their music. In addition to traditional tunes, they play two reels composed by Martin Wyn & Laurence Rattigan.

1. THE MAID OF THE HOUSE - Reel (talk before) - 1'35"

2. THE FIRST HOUSE IN CONNAUGHT - Reel (talk bef) - 1'38"

3. THE BOYS OF LEE-FIVE - Reel (Talk bef) - 1'41"

4. ROARING MARY - Reel (talk bef) - 1'22"

5. THE CUCKOO'S NEST - Hornpipe (talk after) - 1'36"

6. LEITRIM FANCY - Hornpipe - 1'18"

7. THE QUEEN'S HORNPIPE 1'10"

8. THE WESTMEATH JIG, THE FISHERMAN'S WIDOW & TONGS BY THE FIRE with Sean (fid) (talk bef) - 4'24"

9. THE GOSSON THAT BATE HIS FATHER - Reel (talk bef) - 1'56"

10. THE CONCERT REEL - 2'26"

11. THE GOLDEN HEADBOARD - 0.50

12. DENNY O'BRIEN - 1'44"

13. THE FLITCH O' BACON - Jig - 1'34"

14. LOVELY NANCY - Jig (talk bef) - 1'24"

15. MARTIN WYN'S COMPOSITION, THE MAID OF MOUNT CISCO (L.Rattigan) & THE DAIRY MAID - Reels - with Sean (fid) (t b) - 4'25"

16. REYNOLD'S OLD REEL - 2.39

Interviewer: Sean O Boyle. Recorded by Peter Kennedy, Belfast, July, 1952. Edited by Peter Kennedy and first published on Folktrax cassettes 1980.

SEAN MAGUIRE Senior was born 1889 at Mullagh-hoarn, Co. Cavan, learned to play the fiddle and flute from his father, a farmer, well respected locally for his music and as a player at local dances. His mother was Rose Brennan, who excelled as a "lilter" (making mouth-music). Sean's sister, who went to America, played fiddle left-handed. Sean only once went over to England, when he travelled with Malachy Sweeney's Ceilidhe Band in 1949. When recorded in 1952 he was still working as a labourer at the Gas Dept. of Belfast Corporation.

Sean can also be heard playing fiddle with his son, Sean Junior on another cassette: FTX-375 Fiddle Music from Northern Ireland: with Tom Turkington, Bill Montgomery, Liam Donnelly and Eamon O Connor(stepping) THE RED HAIRED BOY/ THE DEVIL AMONG THE TAILORS/ THE LAIRD O' DRUMBLAIR/ RODNEY'S GLORY/ THE THREE SEA CAPTAINS/ DAVID'S DELIGHT/ OVER THE HILLS TO MONRUSH/ SMITH'S FAVOURITE/ THE TAILOR'S TWIST/ THE BLACKBIRD/ REAVEY'S REEL/ ROARING MARY/ THE BANKS HORNPIPE/ THE THREE TUNES/ THE SWEETS OF MAY/ THE FOXHUNTER'S JIG/ THE SAILOR'S BONNET/ KISS THE BRIDE/ THE BASHFUL BACHELOR/ THE SHOWMAN'S FANCY/ DUNPHY'S HORNPIPE/ THE FLAX IN BLOOM/ THE MILESTONE/ THE DAIRY MAID/ THE SLIGO MAID/ THE BOYS OF THE LOUGH/ THE SHASKEEN REEL/ TOBIN'S FAVOURITE/ PLANXTY DRURY