At the Crossroads

In this episode, I'm chatting to Eugene Lambe from Dublin who moved to County Clare in the early 1970s. Over the years, he has met, played with and befriended all of the local musicians and characters and, back in the 1980s, he decided to video some of them for archival purposes. Over five hours of footage is available for viewing at the ITMA in Dublin and I present a selection of it throughout the programme. Timestamps are listed below.0:00:00 - 0:02:07 | Joe Byrne's, reel ; Gus Jordan's, reel / John Killoughry, tin whistle0:02:08 - 0:07:30 | Introduction to the episode0:07:30 - 0:09:19 | Strike the Gay Harp, jig ; A Thousand Farewells, jig [comp. Seán Ryan] / Paddy Mullins, flute0:09:20 | Interview starts0:20:19 - 0:20:54 | The Priest in His Boots, jig / Eugene Lambe, tin whistle0:21:02 - 0:23:00 | The Old Wheels of the World, reel ; Paddy Marshall's, reel / John Killoughry, tin whistle ; Paddy Killoughry, fiddle0:32:10 - 0:36:59 | Érin Geall Mo Chroí, song / Pat Kane, singing in English0:44:55 - 0:47:15 | The Fisher's Hornpipe ; The Sunshine Hornpipe / Mickaleen Conlon, accordion0:53:51 - 0:57:00 | The Lilting Fisherman, jig ; Come Along With Me, jig ; A Visit to Ireland, jig / John Killoughry, tin whistle1:06:23 - 1:08:49 | Martin Killoughry's, polka ; The Lisdoonvarna Polka / John Killoughry, tin whistle ; Paddy Killoughry, fiddle1:18:41 - 1:22:46 | Unidentified, march ; Old Torn Petticoat, reel ; The Mills are Grinding, reel / Gussie Russell, flute1:23:04 - 1:23:48 | Sporting Nell, reel / Eugene Lambe, tin whistle1:25:02 - 1:28:36 | Bridgie McGrath's No. 1 & 2, slides; Come into the town my fair lady, slide / John Killoughry, tin whistle ; Paddy Killoughry, fiddle1:28:36 - 1:30.22 | The Green Fields of Rossbeigh, reel ; / Ms. Curtin, concertina ; Micho Russell, tin whistleEmail patrickcumminsmusic@gmail.com

On today's programme I analyse a variety of Finbarr Dwyer's compositions - the ones most commonly played and recorded over the years. As always, send any information to patrickcumminsmusic@gmail.com

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

This episode focuses on musicians and singers who passed away during the course of 2023. I will take a broad sweep of influential musicians from all genres and backrounds including Irish Traditional Music, Bluegrass and Folk.