At the Crossroads

This week I'm pleased to introduce another guest on the podcast - a man who really needs no introduction - Clare's P. J. Murrihy. We had a great chat for a couple of hours at The Falls Hotel in Ennistymon where P. J. told me about his years as a member of The Kilfenora Céilí Band and playing music with the likes of Jimmy Ward, Michael Sexton and Seamus Shannon. Thanks to The Falls Hotel for the hospitality, to John Lynch for the mp3 files of "Mount Massey" and "Far Away in Australia" and to Maeve Murrihy for her email correspondance and putting me in touch with P. J. Timestamps for the music is listed below. Enjoy!00:00:00 "Belfast Town" - The Kilfenora Céilí Band (The Kilfenora Céilí Band, 1974)00:29:07 "The Green Hills of Tyrol - Tommy Peoples (An Exciting Session with One of Ireland's Leading Fiddle Players, 1976)00:34:00 "Far Away in Australia" - The Kilfenora Céilí Band (Clare Céilí, 1973)00:51:17 "Jimmy Ward's Jig" - Jimmy Ward (Kilrush Fleadh, 1967)01:03:03 "Pat Murphy's Meadow" - P. J. Murrihy (Pat Murphy's Meadow, 1988)01:20:45 "Mount Massey" - The Kilfenora Céilí Band (Clare Céilí, 1973)01:29:06 "Horses and Plough" - P. J. Murrihy (My Father's House, 1994)01:44:39 "Whistling Rufus" - Seamus Shannon (The Magic of Seamus Shannon)01:47:35 "Lovely Old Milltown" - P. J. Murrihy (The Wonders of the West, 2017)02:05:41 "Coming Back to Milltown" - The Kilfenora Céilí Band (The Kilfenora Céilí Band, 1974)

On today's programme I take an exploratory look at the music of East Galway. Four main strands are considered: "The Old Ballinakill Style", "The Fahy Style", "The Paddy O'Brien Accordion Style" and "The Joe Cooley Accordion Style".***I mentioned Gerry Conroy, flute player, as being part of the same Conroy family as Anne Conroy. This was an error. They were of no relation. Anne did, however, have a brother Gerard who was tragically killed in a rally accident.Comment, queries and suggestions to patrickcumminsmusic@gmail.com

Today I'm sharing a re-run from my old radio programme Music at the Crossroads from Dublin South FM. It is the inaugural episode from 23rd January 2018 and features a mix of Irish traditional music.

In this episode, I'm talking with Rawap and Dutar player, Mominjan Rahman from the Uyghur ethnic group. Rahman is a member of the Uyghur European Ensemble and tells me about his peoples' culture and music. Below are some links to expand on some of the talking points.The 12 Muqam & Amannisakhan: https://en.chinaculture.org/library/2008-01/21/content_72053.htm*Note that in the interview, I thought Amannisakhan was prevelent during the 1920s and 1930s. Actually, what Rahman was referring to that she was undertaking her work in her 20s and 30s during the sixteenth century.Tashvay: A composer of many Uyghur pieces including Yaro, as performed by Rahman during the programme.Uyghur European Ensemble: https://www.facebook.com/UyghurEuropeanEnsemble/Comments, queries and suggestions to patrickcumminsmusic@gmail.com

Today's episode features an array of popular folk songs sung by their original composers despite being popularised by other singers. You'll notice certain differences in the lyrics when comparing versions which I found quite interesting. Included in the line-up are the likes of Barney Rushe, Thom Moore and Ewan McColl. Comments, queries and suggestion to patrickcumminsmusic@gmail.com

Over the next 90 minutes, I will dive into the music of the three major acts who laid the groundwork for the emerging genre of bluegrass in the 1940s. I begin with the "Father of Bluegrass", Bill Monroe, whose seminal 1946 recording session with Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and others split the old-time string-band atom. From there, I delve into Flatt & Scruggs own group which formed upon departing from Monroe in 1948. Finally, I take in brothers Ralph & Carter Stanley whom formed their band in 1947. If you are new to bluegrass, there is also an introduction episode from June 2020 which could be used as a supplement to this one.As always, please feel free to get in touch via email: patrickcumminsmusic@gmail.com